


When Ghosts Meddle

by kittystargen3



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Bond Shenanigans, Humor, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, Leia Organa Lives, Matchmaking, Mother-Son Relationship, No Spoilers, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Redeemed Ben Solo, Resistance pulling strings, Rey Nobody, Supreme Leader Armitage Hux, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, The Force Ships It, anakin ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-22 01:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 73,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittystargen3/pseuds/kittystargen3
Summary: Reylo- Post TLJ - Rey and Kylo Ren are trying to go about their chosen paths, only their force bond combined with the actions of certain, well meaning, force ghosts complicate things for them. Hux takes over the First Order during a very odd Force-Bond session, and Ben flees to the resistance. Spoiler Free - Now Complete!
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Kaydel Ko Connix/Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 102
Kudos: 232





	1. Chapter 1 - The Meddlers

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this posted on Fanfiction.net for some time, and I am going to post it here too, as I read through and edit it. I have 22 chapters so far, and it is still in the works. I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> I am writing this as a practice writing, so please share your thoughts. Any constructive criticism helps me to improve my writing skills, and will be very appreciated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course this is all Fan-Fiction. I don't write about anything I own on this site. I have never, nor do I expect to receive payment for any of these works.

Chapter 1.

It was very early in the morning, still dark on the worlds of the Resistance and First Order headquarters alike. Both force sensitive individuals were fast asleep in their own quarters when the winds of the Force sought to twist again at the bond between the two. As the bond formed, the couple continued to sleep, though close enough to allow the bond to synchronize their sleep cycle.

From somewhere in another plane of existence popped in a bluish ghost. He had a slightly amused expression on his face as he held his hand out and concentrated. The hands of the sleeping force sensitives moved, ever so slowly, just close enough to touch.

Suddenly, from behind him another bluish ghost appeared. This one had his arms crossed and a cross look on his face. "Anakin, we don't know enough about this bond thing. If you keep meddling it could have grave consequences."

"Oh, Obi Wan. I'm just giving them a little help."

Suddenly another crosser looking ghost appeared, "Just what meddling are you doing with my nephew and padawan."

"Son, I'm just trying to help my grandson. You know how lonely he's been," said Anakin.

"Awe, who'd of thought Darth Vader would be such a big softie," teased Luke.

"You know I go by Anakin now."

"Tell me one thing, why are they even together now? Clearly neither one of them is doing this and they are both on opposite sides of the galaxy," wondered Luke.

"Well..." Anakin stumbled for words.

"Tell him," said Obi Wan.

"It wasn't my fault. All I did was align up a couple of Midi-chlorians. It would have only increased their chemistry. I had no idea that Snoke would be bridging their minds. Really, I am only half responsible for the bond," Anakin defended himself.

"For a former Sith, you are extremely poor at predicting the behavior of those on the Dark Side," said Luke.

"Don't tell me about it." Obi wan rolled his eyes.

"You caused the bond! Back on Ahch-To if I hadn't walked out of my hut when I did and went to check on Rey, do you realize what could have happened!" argued Luke.

"I'd be a lot closer to great grandparent status! You have Obi Wan to thank for me not knocking you out on your way there." retorted Anakin.

"My wayward Nephew and my only remaining Jedi padawan are now bound together in the force because you wanted more grandchildren! She's an innocent girl. She doesn't deserve this. If she can hold onto the light during this it'll, It'll." Luke paused for a moment to think, "Wait, this bond wasn't a dark side manipulation. If this bond attaches to the light still in him, we can use it to reach Ben. You're Brilliant." Luke said, going from angry to excited.

"Tell that to your mother sometime." said Anakin with a nod. Padme resided in the other relm where the ghosts spent most of their time, though because she had never been trained to use the force, she was unable to appear in this relm, among the living.

"Enough kids, perhaps we should move these discussions elsewhere, before we wake the younglings," Obi Wan suggested.

"You're right Obi Wan, I'm done here, we can let them sleep." Anakin and Obi Wan's ghosts vanished.

As Luke stood there, watching the couple sleep, he lifted his hand, and suddenly the force sensitive male's hand found itself clutching the hand of the female. Luke had a giddy smile on his face as he too vanished.

And then it was just two. As they slept, perhaps it was a dream, or a reflex, but his hand squeezed hers. Then they both lay still, as they passed into the stage of REM at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Need to know: I subscribe to the Reylo shipper theories. I am also writing my own book and I write this as a hobby when I get the chance. I began writing this before TROS, and I actually haven't seen TROS yet, so the work is spoiler free. It takes place some time after TLJ, and will feature awkward situations the Bond can get them into, with some hopefully humorous help from the character's extended family of Force Ghosts. Eventually this turned into a whole story with a Bendemption plot. I hate killing characters, so this will probably be Happily Ever After for all involved. Except maybe Hux.
> 
> Also, I mostly just watch the movies, so I know some things are not Canon, especially my interpretation of Force Ghosts. I've attempted to do research where I could, but it's an awful lot of info to go through, so sometimes I've just up and decided to crate my own spin. Please forgive my interpretations.


	2. Chapter 2 - Rey's Next Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Force Ghost Luke has finally agreed with Daddy's plan for the grand kids.

Chapter 2

The next morning lights turned on automatically, waking Rey. Seconds after waking up, Rey was filled with terror. She did not recognize her surroundings. She was in a very nice looking bedroom, with minimalist furnishings and a monochromatic color scheme. Mostly blacks, with a few grays and whites mixed in. The room was also very clean. There were no clothes on the floor, which shined like a freshly mopped tile, and there were no fingerprints on anything. The only trace of a smudge was an ink stain on a small desk, next to a quill pen.

As she got up she was surprised at the feeling. She was almost a foot taller, which led her to investigate the body she was in. It was very different, more muscular, and her hair felt different. She rushed to look around for a mirror, or something with a reflection. Through an opened door there was a sink with a mirror above it. She stared in wonder for a few minutes as she was looking at Ben's face, or the face of Kylo Ren. She wasn't sure at this point who he wanted to be.

'Wait! I'm in his body. Is this a dream? It doesn't feel like a dream,' thought Rey, as she traced his hand over the counter top, and felt it's coolness as if it was her own hand. 'Then this must be his room, somewhere in the First Order.'

Behind her there was a shower. As she looked at it she marveled at the thought of having her own bathing suite in her bedroom. Back on Jakku, if she wanted to bathe, she had to throw herself into the trough the animals used at the market place. It wasn't something you did unless you really had to. She shook his head with disgust from the memories. Then she remembered how she felt spoiled when she saw the showers she shared with the other ladies in her hall, back on the resistance base.

Moving back into the bedroom, she looked around. There were a few computer panels around the room, but when she tried to access them, most were password protected. The only one she could access was the one that turned the lights on and off, on the wall, and controlled the room temperature.

"Pity," she said out loud, thinking of how the situation was perfect to get some intel for the Resistance. She stepped backwards in surprise to hear his voice.

After this she set her sights on learning what she could from the belongings of the Supreme Leader. She opened drawers, and looked through their contents. Nothing in the nightstands interested her. There were a couple of packaged snack bars, which interested the growing pangs of hunger in her stomach, but that was all. When she opened a package, the bar crumbled and some fell onto the floor. Rey was filled with immediate regret, for on Jakku she learned not to waist the tiniest crumb of food. This was made more abhorrent when a slot in the wall opened and in slid a droid programmed to clean up the mess, and she had to fight it off to save those crumbs she could.

When she was done she turned and walked to the metal wardrobe against the wall. She opened it, and suddenly Luke's face appeared through the outfits. It shouted, "Boo!" then flew out of the wardrobe and hovered beside her in the room. A smug look of satisfaction was on his face.

"Luke, what are you doing here," she said. The specter in front of her looked confused. "It's me, Rey. How are you here? How am I here?"

"Rey!" Luke's ghost looked shocked. "How many lessons did I give you?"

"Well, you promised me three, but we only got to lesson two before..."

Luke put his hand by Rey's temple, and his eyes concentrated as if reading something. Then he relaxed his eyes and said, "So you are Rey, This is unexpected."

"How is this even possible?"

"The bond between you two is unpredictable. It flows with the waves of the force. I will need to go talk to someone," said Luke.

"What do I do in the meantime?" asked Rey.

"Either it will end on it's own, or you will have to make contact for it to transfer your consciousness back." He made to walk away, but turned back. "Don't even think about going out into the First Order Base. Stay right here."

"But..."

"Trust me. You have no idea how many dangers there are on a First Order Base, especially for a Jedi in the body of the Supreme Leader. Who's still in his Pajamas."

Rey looked at herself again and huffed in frustration.

"I imagine he's in the same situation right now."

"He's what!" shouted Rey.

"You're consciousness is in his body, where do you suppose his is?"

"I'm gonna kill him."

After giving a sigh, Luke said, "If the force bond reforms, remember how anger leads to the dark side. Think of this as Lesson number three."

In response Rey sighed, and Luke knew that was as close to a win as he was going to get. He turned to walk away then vanished into thin air.


	3. Chapter 3 - Ben's Next Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last on: Rey is in Kylo Ren's body! Luke told her to stay put.

Chapter 3

When Ben opened his eyes the room was still dark. "Lights," he spoke the command, expecting the computers to turn them on. When they didn't he turned to reach for a computer panel, but as his eyes glanced around, he realized he was not in his own room. Beside the bed there was a lamp, which he turned on then went back to scanning the room.

The room was a smaller size, and had a very warm color scheme. Even the metal the bed was in had a yellowish color. The furniture was very eclectic, with pieces that seemed to come from different sets. There was a wooden dresser, an orange fabric chair, and a tall mirror across from where he sat. And in it's reflection he saw her.

She was lying in a bed, a look of shock on her face. He quickly turned to survey the rest of the room, but he couldn't find her. His eyes went back to the mirror, and her head turned too, again to face it. Tentatively he pulled the blanket off his chest and sat up, she did the same. He looked down and then back up again, the look of shock on her face was even bigger, as he realized the exact predicament he was in.

"How did this happen," he said to the face in the mirror. When she didn't respond he said, "At least I know where you are now."

'First I've got to be able to walk you out of here, without drawing too much attention,' he thought. He got up and eyed her outfit in the mirror. It was a simple nightgown. 'This will have to change,' he thought as he opened a drawer in the dresser. The drawer opened easily, as it was nearly empty. Inside he found a few outfits similar to the ones he's already seen her in, homemade and simple, desert garb. "This is too light for where we're going, but..." Then he saw a cloak in the bottom drawer, and he grabbed it, along with a set of clothing. Then he stood back. He hesitated for a second, before placing a blanket from the bed over the mirror, with an, "I promise, no peeking."

Then as quickly as he could, he changed into the outfit he selected. In his teen years, he would have relished the opportunity, but something about the current situation. It just didn't feel right. When he was done he uncovered the mirror.

He looked over the top of the dresser and saw a hairbrush lying there. Picking it up, he brushed out her hair to a straight, untangled look. Then he eyed the clips she usually kept her hair into. 'No, you're just gonna have to wear your hair down today. I don't know how to put those in,' he thought as he eyed the clips.

Then he eyed the room. Near the door to the room there was a large bag with a strap to wear across the shoulders. He put the cloak into the bag then turned to finish exploring. There was a small table on the opposite wall. On it sat two halves of a lightsaber, his lightsaber. It had been opened up and there were some replacement parts installed. But it was still missing an important piece. He picked it up anyway and put it into the bag with the cloak. "I'm not leaving the weapon behind, even a broken one has it's uses," he spoke to her reflection before he went on.

He's not sure what made him look under the bed, but he was surprised by how much he found under it. There was a set of books that resembled the old jedi ones he used to translate for his uncle, a blaster, and a stash of food. He didn't see any need for the books, and he didn't even understand why the former scavenger would keep a stash of food under her bed, but he did take the blaster, and put it into the bag.

Then he left the room with the bag around her shoulders. He was in a long hallway, where he had to pick a direction at random and go. A few yards down one of the doors opened as he walked past, and a voice called out "Rey, hey Rey."

Then a hand reached out to touch his shoulder. It was him, the traitor, FN2187. Ben thought about smashing his skull. Then as he turned he saw past the traitor was standing another female. She was standing in the same doorway that the traitor had left and she was stroking her hair with a hairbrush.

She greeted Ben with a smile, "Rey, there you are," she said. "Finn and I got back from the mission so late last night that I didn't have a chance to give you the good news."

For a reason he wasn't aware of, seeing her made him feel less violent towards the traitor. "Finn," he said acknowledging it, and the Traitor beside him now nodded.

"I've got to go, see you two later," the traitor said, before he leaned back to kiss the female. "Bye Rose."

"Rose," Ben said, more to learn the name.

"Come," said Rose, grabbing Rey's hand, and dragging Ben into the room with her.

"As you know, we were supposed to be gathering supplies to fix up the base's equipment, but when I found this I stashed it away immediately," Rose said while she turned to dig through a bag on the wall. "Of course, when I brought it back Poe almost had it put in with the other supplies, but the General came down on our side, once I explained what it was for. There it is," she pulled out an oily cloth rolled up, and brought it over.

"Sit, Sit," She commanded, and Ben obeyed, sitting by a table in the room. Laying the fabric on the table she began to unroll it in front of him. A shiny piece of metal which wouldn't look like much to those not familiar with the construction of a lightsaber was tucked in the rolls of the cloth.

"The missing piece," Ben said.

"Yes, but that's not all," Rose continued to unroll the cloth. She revealed some kind of brown leather piece. This confused Ben. "It's to join the pieces together. I thought it would add a comfortable grip too." She glanced at Ben. "You're not happy, It's ok, it was just an idea."

"No," Ben said, "It's a very creative idea. Very useful. May I take them?" she nodded, and he put them into his bag.

"Useful and stylish," she said still smiling. After a moment her expression changed to one of concern. "Is something wrong Rey. It's just that I haven't seen you smile yet today, and I just gave you the last piece to our favorite project." Then a look of surprise came across her eyes. "Did you see him again?"

Ben looked shocked and concerned. He didn't know what to say.

"Oh my you did! What happened? He didn't hurt you again, did he?" Rose put a hand on Ben's wrist.

Ben stood up by pure instinct. He was starting to fume over which Resistance member was hurting Rey, when he realized that he probably was the he she was referring to. "No, no. Not at all, I just." Ben struggled to find what to say.

"It's alright. Believe me, I understand how complicated it can get with men. I'm here whenever you're ready to talk about it."

"Thank you," Ben said, and quickly Rose added to her statement.

"Besides, yours is not the most awkward of relationships on the base." before Ben could contemplate the word relationships, she went on. "When we were away Lieutenant Connix would volunteer to make all the calls back to base, and always between 1900 hrs and late after the rest of us went to bed. You know who's on duty in the Comms room then. Of course she'd always pick time to make the call when we'd all be out of the room, and we all know why."

Ben clearly did not know why, but he concluded he was not going to get any more useful information out of this 'girl talk.' He picked up the bag and said, "I should be going now."

"Bye," Rose waved.

Ben hesitated, but returned the wave, trying to put a smile on his lips too. It felt unnatural.

As Ben explored the Resistance base he tried to look like he knew where he was going. Which was of course complicated by the fact that he did not know what was behind any of the doors in the base. As he opened the doors he tried to find something to do, even grabbing a piece of fruit in a cafeteria like room and just placing it in his bag. Fortunately few people seemed to notice him, and no one struck up any more conversations.

Ben walked around the base for so long that he got lost and somehow managed to find the cafeteria again. Why anyone would build a Resistance base with so many hallways confused him.

After he left the Cafeteria a second time he walked past a crowded meeting room who's doors were open wide. Poe Dameron walked out this door as he passed, and called out, "Rey, there you are. You were almost late to the meeting today."

"Oh, the meeting, I must have forgotten," Ben tried to sound casual.

"Then you better come with me, or you'll get in trouble with the General." He winked and placed his arm behind Ben's back to lead him. This made every muscle freeze in Ben and he almost smacked Poe for the familiarity when Poe stopped and pulled his hands away. "My bad, I forgot. No touching."

Ben continued to walk with Poe through the doors he came out of. Inside was a large table and a few other persons in Resistance uniforms were seated around the table. Poe sat down in a seat, and motioned for Rey to join him. Ben took a seat a couple chairs away, as he was sure he didn't want to risk another incident like out in the hall. He clearly remembered being in Poe's head, during his interrogation, and seeing the ways he thought about women. Ben had a fleeting thought that it might be wise to provoke another incident with Poe, so that he could violently rebuke him and teach him a lesson. The idea made him smile, though he wasn't sure why. Fortunately a second later a blond haired young lady took the seat between them. Her name tag read: Lt. Connix, and she smiled and eyed Poe with the gentlest of eyes. 'So That's what that meant' thought Ben, remembering the conversation with Rose earlier.

Before Ben could further explore that concept, another set of doors opened and in walked General Leia Organa. She walked with a proud gait to the head of the table, only a few feet from Ben. Before addressing the group she looked down to her right, into the eyes of Ben. A thoughtful expression was on her face, but two seconds later she looked away. One of the men at the table tapped his datapad against the table to get everyone's attention.

Ben sat still, eyes transfixed on his mother. It had been so long since he saw her. Before Snoke died, he imagined how angry he would feel if he ever saw her again, but now, that it was actually happening, he didn't know how he felt, but it wasn't anger that boiled over in him. Still, he pressed his face into the same stoic look he often wore to avoid attracting attention. 'I just need to get through this and out of here' he thought to steady himself.

"Welcome all. I understand that these meetings can get tiresome, but they are important for keeping us all up to date. I promise to keep today's meeting short, however. Leia began to call upon members to explain the outcomes of several missions that had already taken place. There were a few bits of useful information in the reports, but it seemed like whenever they got to something important, or useful to the First Order, Leia interrupted them. She'd ask for them to give her a written report, and asked another member to speak on a different topic. Ben was mostly bored out of his mind. Not even the identities of the people at the meeting were useful to him, as he already signed most of their bounty orders himself.

"This was a productive meeting. I did promise to keep it brief though, so to the point. I have faith that the Resistance will overcome these challenges and I have faith in our cause, as I have faith in all of you." Leia said, her eyes again drifting over to where Ben was sitting.

"General, we still have to discuss the upcomming missions to..." Poe started to correct her.

"No, Not today. The meeting is finished, you are dismissed," said Leia. Almost as if it surprised her subordinate that she would go about her decision, Poe's mouth dropped as he watched Leia walk out of the meeting room.

Before she got to the door, she turned to Ben and said, "Rey, please come with me." Ben had just picked up his bag and was going to walk out with the others when she spoke. He proceeded to kick himself for not getting out of there faster. Obediently, he turned to follow Leia out the door she walked through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all who have read and reviewed this. I appreciate hearing what you think. I got this idea for a body switch, force bond experience from something I vaguely remember Daisy Ridley saying in an interview a while back. I can't remember which interview exactly. I think she was asked if she could play another character besides Rey, and she answered that she'd like to play Kylo Ren. This would be a way to do it. I have no idea on when I'll be posting the next update, so please follow to stay notified.
> 
> Also, this site doesn't allow italics, so thoughts are in ' ' while quotes are in " ", I hope it's clear enough.


	4. Chapter 4 - Leia's Next Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben is in Rey's body, at the Resistance HQ. He took Anakin's broken lightsaber and the parts to fix it. Leia wants to see Rey privately in her office, but Ben will have to go instead.

Chapter 4:

Earlier that morning:

Leia was in her private office, her head slouched over the computer screen. She had been doing one of the more tedious tasks necessary for running a Resistance late last night, and had fallen asleep with her work, again. Perhaps it was because whenever she'd retire, all she had to fill her mind with was grief, but that's not what she told herself. She told herself that these tasks would not be done properly if not done by herself, and she was rather convincing too.

"Wakey-wakey" the voice came over her shoulder.

Leia startled. She looked around, but saw no one. "Who's there?"

Then a bluish figure of a man appeared sitting in a chair beside her. "Just me."

"Luke," said Leia with a smile.

"We have a plan to save Ben, but there is a slight problem. Ben and Rey have formed a very rare Force Bond. It is very strong, almost unheard of. And it has, this morning, switched their bodies."

"Are you serious?" asked Leia.

"We think it is just temporary, but right now Ben is waking up, here, in Rey's body. Rey is on the First Order Base. I've already spoken to her, she is safe, but we need to get them together to switch back."

"Ben is here!"

"His primary plan will likely be to get out of here, and back to the first order. And with what body he's in, that will be very dangerous. Also, if he finds out that you know, his plans are likely to change."

"So what do I do?"

"He plans to go straight to the first Order, give him a ship but program it to lock in Auto-Pilot as soon as it leaves here. Send him to Calabria instead," said Luke.

"And what about the rest of this plan. The save my son plan." Leia eyed him suspiciously.

Luke cracked a smile, and for a second he reminded her more of the boy who came to the Death Star to rescue a princess, than the old man who's soul was scarred by war. "We are planning a little mischief for those two. An odd sort of date night for sure."

"You plan to exploit the bond?"

"We plan to strengthen the bond."

"And Who is this we, you keep referring to?"

"Well, our father, he actually half, unintentionally created the bond. Then there's Obi Wan Kenobi, a few other former Jedi. Even Yoda agrees with the plan."

"So a bunch of celibate old Jedi are going to play matchmaker."

"I know plenty about impressing a woman. I even impressed you once."

Leia just shook her head, and the force ghost of Luke disappeared from the room.

Some time later Leia walked out of her office. Connix and Poe were obviously and unintentionally flirting behind one of the desks, and everyone else was trying very hard to avoid them as they went about their work.

"Poe, Connix" Leia interrupted them. "We will be holding a meeting this morning. Send messages to these people that they are to attend." She handed a list to Connix. Then she turned to Poe. "Have a shuttle prepared for a mission after the meeting today."

"A mission?" Poe asked, dumbfounded.

"All Classified. Give this message to Rose, she'll know what to do. And have these items placed in the ship's hold." Leia passed him two tablets. "Oh," she walked back into her office, and emerged carrying a bottle of wine. Place this in the ship's hold too, but hide it behind everything else."

"OK." Poe looked confused but took the bottle. Then he glanced at the list and his eyes grew wide. "Just what kind of mission is this?"

"I said, It's classified. Speak of this to no one."

'Just in case the old Jedi doesn't know as much as he thinks he knows about women.' Leia thought to herself as Poe walked away. 'Gee, I made Poe Dameron's eyes grow wide, I hope I didn't go too far.'

Present:

Ben followed Leia into an office. Leia took a seat and motioned for him to sit too. "Rey, I want to talk to you today before you leave for your mission."

"Mission," Ben said with a tiny bit of surprise leaking through.

"Yes, the ship should be ready to take you to Calabria soon. I assume you're prepared." She motioned to the bag Ben carried. "I'll walk you to the hanger myself, when we're done here."

Ben nodded along. Having a guide to show him to the hanger, not to mention having a ship waiting for him. 'Getting out of here is going to be easier than I thought.'

"The girl you are going to see, I want you to take care of her. B- She hasn't had an easy life. When I first met her she was just skin and bones. And she's jumpy too. I don't know exactly what she's been through, but she treats any situation like she may need to defend herself. Her trust is hard to win over."

"I'll protect her m-my general. She will be treated well." Ben tried to calm his mother. He still felt her anxiety was strong.

"I also wanted to bring up that conversation we had. About your connection to Ben," said Leia.

Ben leaned forward, very interested in what she said next. "Yes."

"I hope that you don't hold my opinions against me. I don't have anything against you, but I don't think there is any good that can come from exploring this bond. You may have some chemistry, but I know my son, and long term it just won't work out. Even if you weren't on opposite sides."

Ben had to tamp down feelings of anger. His mind quickly sought out memories of Rey to counter what his mother said. Though he knew his best response would not be to argue, so he responded, "Yeah, I'm just a scavenger."

"Now, this has nothing to do with class. I just know how Solo men are. How they think," Leia responded.

"You know that I already turned him down. He begged me, pleaded with me to be with him, but I left him with his dead master. You don't have anything to worry about," Ben said through gritted teeth.

"Come now, lets get you to your vessel." Leia got up and held out a hand to Ben. He felt nervous, but decided to take her hand to avoid suspicion.

'Solo men can never resist the old reverse psychology trick,' Leia thought to herself as she was leaving.

She led him down a few hallways, and up a stairs. When they opened the large double door to the hanger, the room was crowded. She led him to a shuttle where Poe and Rose stood outside. They seemed to be having a business conversation, but they both became quiet as soon as Leia approached.

"General, the ship is stocked and prepared as you asked," said Poe.

"Good, Rose, were you able to make the modifications I asked for?" asked Leia.

"Yes, Ma'am. Her tank is full and she's ready to fly," confirmed Rose.

"Well, It sounds like she's ready for you," Leia said to Ben.

"Rey. The ship is for Rey," said a very wide eyed Poe.

"Yes, may I remind you the mission is classified," said Leia. As she said this Ben had been climbing up into the craft. It had two seats, and a small hold, which was closed, and Ben didn't want to waste any time to search it. Ben sat in the pilot's chair, and began to turn on the engine. Before he realized it Leia had climbed in the shuttle. She reached around Ben to give him a hug and whispered in his ear so low he wasn't completely sure he heard it, "I love you, Ben."

Before Ben could react she stepped back and the door to the shuttle closed behind her. Ben tried to reopen the door, but it wouldn't open. The ship seemed to continue it's pre-flight procedure, even though no one was at the controls. He got back to the pilot seat and tried to shut them down, but they didn't respond either. A second later the view screen in front of the pilot seat went black. He could feel the ship take off, as he gave up messing with controls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The planet Calabria is not one that comes from the Star Wars Universe, but one that came from my own imagination. I tried to look up a planet from the many Star Wars Wikis, but I was quickly swamped with possibilities. Plus I don't know enough to determine what state each world would be in for the sequel trilogy. It's a universe full of planets, I figured it would be easier to add one.


	5. Chapter 5 - Rey & Ben the Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Luke convinced Leia to help with the plan. Leia tricked Ben into a shuttle that was rigged.

Chapter 5

Rey waited in Kylo Ren's bedroom for only a minute before deciding to disregard Luke's advice. Well, she did take one piece into consideration. She decided to change clothes first.

At the wardrobe she selected an outfit similar to the style she'd seen him wear before, including the belt with lightsaber attached. Putting it on was tricky and awkward, but if she was tough enough that one time to drag a naked scavenger who'd succumbed to the desert heat onto her scooter and back to Nima Outpost, she could handle this. She looked around the room for a mask, but the only one she could find was a half burnt up old mask that seemed to be on display. 'I'd be tempted to throw the mask out an airlock, anyways,' she thought to herself.

When Rey was finished she went to the door. It was locked, and seemed to require a voice password. Fortunately, the lock wasn't the first one like it she'd seen, and she knew how to hack it. When she was through, she stopped to think. 'I should do something, in case someone notices the door's been hacked.' So she pulled out Ben's red Lightsaber and swiped the door lock from the outside. Then she ran down the hallway, and ducked into another hallway before four Stormtroopers noticed her.

She went down a few hallways till she noticed she was not on a planet at all, but a large ship, orbiting a First Order world. 'That's good, it means there should be a hanger around here.' Fortunately for Rey, she knew enough about these types of ships to know which direction to go.

Getting there involved using a couple of Lifts and going past even more stormtroopers. Whenever she passed them, she tried not to give them eye-contact, but each time she saw them she thought of her friend Finn, and how he used to be a part of this world. It made her feel sad. 'Kylo Ren doesn't feel sad. You need to act like Kylo Ren.' So she hardened her face to an expression of anger instead.

The Stormtroopers jumped in response, and a few gave a "Hail, Supreme Leader," response.

'Oh, Ben! What have you been up to?' Rey thought.

Then a uniformed First Order personnel approached her, "Sir, we have word that there's been damage to the door to your personal quarters. Do we have a security level 5 situation?"

"No, just a test of the security, congratulations you've passed," said Rey in as firm a voice as she could muster. "See that it is repaired immediately."

She was almost there. Ahead of her were a set of large doors, and she knew behind them should be the Hanger, but before she opened them, she heard a voice from behind her.

"I see you've decided to ignore my advice, yet again." It was Luke.

Rey turned around to see the Force Ghost. Her eyes squinted in frustration.

"If you want to get onto a ship, that's the wrong way to go," he said.

"How do you know? The hanger should be behind this door," said Rey

In response, the Force Ghost of Luke walked through the wall into the next room, then back out. "If you want to meet the infamous General Hux, and explain why the Supreme Leader needs to leave duty and responsibility. All to go for a little ride, be my guest. If you want to avoid him, and any tracking he orders for your shuttle, come this way."

Rey sighed, then she followed Luke. He led her down another hallway, then around to near the location she was at before, but this was to a different door. When she opened the door Luke didn't follow her through. She looked around. She was in a large hanger, filled with ships. At one end was an angry looking man with red hair. He was giving orders to a squadron of stormtroopers. She quickly selected a shuttle, capable of taking her out of the current system, and prepared it for takeoff. There was a small tracking device in the ship, which was easy to take care of. It seemed the stormtroopers were also preparing for takeoff, so when the hanger bay doors opened, she took off and flew out with them.

Then she heard the voice of Luke again, though she didn't see his face this time. "Go to Calabria."

"Why would I want to go there?" asked Rey.

The voice that answered her was gruff and frustrated. "Oh, In my day, when I was given instructions from my elders, I followed the instructions without constantly questioning their logic.

Just then there was an odd giggle followed by a different voice. "Remember differently do I."

Then the voice of Luke again, "Oh, you be quiet, Yoda. Fine, Go to Calabria because that's where you'll find your other half."

Rey paused a moment, then responded, "Calabria it is then. Where is Calabria?"

As if in response to her question the ship's screen opened up a window with information on Calabria. It included heading information. Rey pressed the button to automatically set autopilot to the planet. Then she read the information in the database about the Planet. The world was small, but habitable. Few people lived there now, because the First Order came to the planet and relocated the residents as a work force to build Starkiller base. Then there was an article describing how the residents used to live like primitives due to religious beliefs. It also said that in the days of the old Republic, visitors were welcomed to vacation on the planet. It had a very healthy tourism industry, partly because of the healthy forests, and chance to explore a more natural lifestyle.

After reading this, Rey laughed to herself, 'You want to live without indoor plumbing, come to Jakku. Natural Lifestyle, we've got that in spades. No, it's got that. I don't belong to Jakku anymore.' Strangely, the thought about not belonging in Jakku made her feel both glad and sad. She was glad to be rid of it, but it also reminded her she didn't quite feel like she belonged anywhere. 'Where do I belong then. The resistance is welcoming, but it still feels more like a transitory home. A place between. Finn has Rose, and they talk all the time about the home they'll make when this conflict is done. I don't know what I'll do when this is over.'

As Ben traveled to Calabria he reflected on what happened. 'She knew, how could she possibly have known. Her powers with the force must be stronger than I ever knew. It figures, she's sending me away again. Some love there, Mother.'

'But wait, why is she sending me away. Strategically it'd make more sense to imprison me. At least try to interrogate me for information.' As his mind touched the idea that his mother's love may in fact be real, he flinched, and quickly tried to clear the thoughts from his mind.

He picked up the bag he brought with him from Rey's room. In it was the broken Lightsaber, and the new parts. He spent the next ten minutes reassembling it. If he didn't have the force to help him, it would have been impossible without tools, but most of the necessary components were in place already. The new piece slipped in easily. Then he used the leather grip Rose gifted to bind the pieces together. Soon he had a working weapon, but the ship was too small a space to test it in.

Without the work to keep him busy, he couldn't keep his mind away from that emotional gutter. 'Did she know all that time, or just at the end. To set up a ship to do this, she had to have known earlier, before I even got to the meeting today. Then what was she talking about, this mission. Calabria, that's where she said I was headed. I should have known. Why would the Resistance send anyone, let alone a Jedi, to Calabria?'

'To meet a girl, she said. Someone mother knew, maybe a political contact. Skin and bones, she said. It couldn't be a political contact then. Wait, she knew it was me, she wouldn't send me to any important contacts.' Then he remembered Rey. How she felt so light in his arms when he carried her from Takodana. 'She knew I'd seek her out. Calabria must just be a random planet then. Just to get me away from the Resistance without learning anything. I'll probably regain control of the ship after that.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again: Calabria is not an existing Star Wars Planet, but one I invented for this series.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Switch Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey escapes the First Order HQ, steals a shuttle and goes to the planet Luke tells her to. Ben repairs the lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini Trigger Warning: They meet again in this chapter, and it's not all sun and roses.  
> Note at bottom discusses signs of child abuse in Rey's past.

Chapter 6

"AAAAHHHH," Ben actually needed to put on the safety harness to land safely. The ship seemed to want to hurl his stomach contents in all directions as it landed. It hit the ground at a high speed, then bounced up in the air again, and again. When it finally stopped moving parts around him were smoking. The ships control screen lit up, indicating he had control of the craft again, but he wasn't going to get far with it in the state it was in. He opened the craft door and stepped out.

As he breathed in the fresh air, he looked around. He was in the middle of a forest. The only clearing made forcefully by his ship's impromptu landing. His ship didn't look to be in good condition. Several parts were smoking, and other parts appeared bent. "A-And that's why you never make a landing on autopilot, kids," Ben said in an exasperated tone.

Ben stomped over to a tree and let loose the newly repaired lightsaber with a yell of anger. Just then a cool wind blew in and he was surprised to be shivering. 'This desert dweller is so thin, the cold goes right to her bones. Fortunately I already thought of that,' thought Ben. Then he went to his bag and pulled out the cloak it carried.

He went to open the ships hold to see if it had anything useful. When he looked in the compartment, he almost laughed. The compartment had none of the usual expected contents for a mission. At least not to First Order Standards. In one bag was a pop-up tent. And that was all for survival gear. In a box there were two raw steaks packed in ice. There was also a loaf of herbed bread, a number of raw vegetables, and a few other cooking ingredients.

'Did mother expect me to be cooking this in the wreck of the ship,' Ben began debating whether there was some purpose to stocking the ship's hold. Then he pulled out a long blue dress. 'Or maybe you just took the first craft you could find, even though it was stocked for someone else.' This theory became more cemented when he found a pack of contraceptives. 'Definitely not my mother's idea.' Ben was reminded of the conversation he had with his mom regarding his fit with Rey as a partner. He still felt frustrated, almost as if he had to defend himself. Though he was surprised he even cared any more what she thought about his choices. Then, just as he was about to get up, he noticed the dress would fit Rey's figure well. 'Oh well, it's not like anyone will be coming to claim it here.'

He put the dress and food in his bag. He was about to toss the contraceptives back into the ship's hold when he noticed the bottle of wine. 'My, the Resistance sure is getting comfortable,' He thought about all the lovers he saw while he was at the Resistance base, about Finn and Rose, and Poe and probably every girl he flirted with. Including Rey. 'I'll need to talk to Hux about shaking things up for them a bit. Maybe I'll leak that holo-vid about sexual harassment Hux made for the First Order Personnel.'

Taking the wine, he put the bag over his shoulder. He also picked up the bag with the tent. Taking a minute to close his eyes and feel with the Force which direction he should go, he turned south, and walked from the clearing into the forest.

He walked for nearly twenty minutes till the forest ended. He was in a large plain. The hill sloped upward behind him. In the sky he saw a ship, a First Order Tie Whisperer coming in for a landing. He couldn't tell you how he knew this, but he knew Rey was aboard.

Then he reconsidered, 'I don't want to give her any of this, and if we switch bodies back immediately, I may not get the chance to take it back.' Then Ben backtracked into the forest and hid his bags, and the lightsaber under a fallen log. Then he turned around and went to find where the Tie Whisperer was landing.

As Rey flew over the planet Calabria she asked her Force Ghost companion, "Are you sure he's here."

"Yes, his ship should've landed at these coordinates," said Luke.

"Well, I don't see any ships around here. I'm just gonna have to land and search on foot," suggested Rey.

"I believe that's what I suggested when we first..." Rey glared into midair, aiming figuratively for her non corporeal companion. "I mean, yes! What a good idea!"

Rey landed on the Plain, near the edge of a forest, and she got out of her craft. She was about to ask Luke if she should go into the forest, or down the meadow, when she saw a girl approaching. It was a girl she knew very well, though it was strange seeing her here. The girl stopped, and looked at her with the same feeling of shock on her face. It felt like a reflection. Then her gaze calmed to an analytical look as she studied her quandary.

When Ben emerged from the Forest, he knew who he'd find, though it was shocking to see none the less. His own face staring back at him, as it had in the mirror, but this was no mirror. The face he looked at was at first as shocked as he felt, then it became kinder, giving him an almost compassionate look. He stepped closer to it without a thought. Then the face changed again to anger, and it said, "Just what have you done in my body, Ben."

"No more than you, apparently," he didn't mean to be aggravating, just what came out was the most logical answer to him.

Rey still angered at his words. She stalked closer to him, until they were face to face. Then they felt it. It started as a tingle in their fingers, then spread over their bodies. The world around both seemed to go black, and then it seemed to spin. Rey, or was it Ben reached forward, but found nothing to hold onto.

When light finally came back to them, they were lying on their backs in the field. Their heads were still spinning, though it was starting to dissipate.

Ben sat up first. He patted his chest and head, then said, "We're back in our own bodies." He got up and walked a few steps. Then he turned back to see Rey doing a similar pat down. He turned and walked towards the shuttle that brought Rey here.

Halfway there he heard Rey shout, "Hey! No you don't!" She ran after him and was ahead of him by the time he got to the craft.

In response Ben pulled out his Lightsaber. "You're not leaving me again. You can either come with me as my prisoner, or stay here."

"Where's your craft?" asked Rey, clearly thinking about her options.

"In the forest North of here a bit. Don't count on her being able to fly, though." Then Ben pulled his lightsaber next to Rey's face. It flickered red off her cheek as he suppressed any feelings he had for her. It took more than a second. There was a lot to suppress. "Make your choice."

Rey pulled her hand off of the Tie Whisperer, and said in a weak voice, "Alright, I yield."

Ben looked pleased with himself as he pulled the lightsaber away from Rey's head. He kept it raised as he opened the craft. With his hand he motioned for Rey to board. "Not there," he said when she tried to climb into the copilot seat. He motioned to the back of the craft, away from any controls on board. Then he leaned over the pilot's chair and typed in a control in the console.

The ship responded with a computerized voice, "Lockout Engaged."

He then left the ship. When he returned he carried two bags. One Rey recognized from her own possessions, while the other was blue fabric with a shorter handle. "Got everything you need," said Rey in a voice that did not disguise her irritation.

"Yes," said Ben, as he began startup procedures on the craft. Then he pushed the last lever to start the engine and take off, but nothing happened. He fiddled with the controls and tried the last lever again. Still nothing.

"Having trouble," Rey started to smile, then continued smiling when she saw how much it irritated him.

"What did you do to it?" Ben demanded.

"Absolutely nothing, it seems First Order workmanship is not up to standards," teased Rey.

Ben got out of the pilot seat, and turned to examine the craft. Rey followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My interpretation of the Rey Character: That she suffered extreme childhood neglect is practically canon. I'd also say that with her well practiced ability to defend herself, she's also been physically assaulted numerous times. And given the facts alone, her chances of sexual abuse/ assault are above average. When I read the TFA book, I was extremely suspicious about how Unkar Plutt was described. Rey thought him extremely gross and it was pretty obvious that he had lust for Rey. If this wasn't a Disney movie, I'd of been sure of it. 
> 
> If this bothers anyone, I will include trigger warnings for future chapters that deal obviously with the issue, and any other triggers I think are apparent. But it may in subtle forms affect other chapters, hence the tag.


	7. Chapter 7 - Who's Whose Prisoner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: They both land on the planet. Well, Kylo actually crashes. When they meet, they switch back to their bodies, falling unconscious when they do. Kylo tries to force Rey to return with him, but then the ship doesn't start.

Chapter 7

It took them only several minutes to determine the problem. Ben and Rey stood outside the ship, facing where a panel had been removed. Inside was an indent where a roundish object was missing.

"Where is it?" Ben asked, turning to stand over Rey.

"I don't know." When Ben heard her reply he lifted his hand. Rey hunched her shoulders and attempted to pull out of his reach.

Ben quickly grabbed her shoulder, and continued moving his other hand up to her temple. He dove into her mind gently, and it only took a few seconds to confirm her words. "Hmm, you don't know," he said. "It must have been stolen then. Likely when we were out cold from the transfer." Ben dropped Rey and began to walk around, studying the ground as if looking for tracks.

Rey turned to the forest and began a hike north through the forest.

"Where are you going?" shouted Ben, but Rey didn't turn back to answer him. He growled. Then he turned back towards the craft. If there was a thief about, he didn't want to leave anything valuable behind, so he gathered the two bags from the ship. Then looked for the survival gear loaded into every First Order Craft. This one was missing several items, and he would have wondered how anyone let her leave in a craft that wasn't stocked to code, but he didn't have the time.

When he caught up to Rey, she was looking wide eyed at his damaged ship. "Rough landing?" she asked with a smirk.

"I wasn't flying," he answered her.

"By the looks of this, I think they call it 'falling,'" Rey retorted with a smug smirk.

She looked to him for a witty reply, but all she got was gruff, "Hmm."

Rey knew where to look first. She went to the compartment and opened the panel, then looked back in shock. The same component of both ships was now missing. "This makes no sense. The part is worth almost nothing. If someone were scavenging parts off our ships, they'd better take the Yip Coils or the T-Drive first. Those are easier to get to, and worth a lot more."

"It still stranded us," said Ben. He began to walk around the ship again, looking downward for tracks. "I don't see any tracks here. It'd be hard to go anywhere on this ground without leaving tracks." Ben kicked some loose dirt with his foot.

"If it had been me, I'd of had half the ship ripped apart in the time you were gone. Clearly they were not motivated by money," said Rey, who hadn't been listening to Ben.

"No, clearly not," Ben replied. "Come then, there's no more use staying here. They could still come back to rob the ship. We'll go north, and find somewhere to set up camp. Look for Firewood along the way," ordered Ben.

"Hold on, the ship may not be flyable, but it can still provide shelter. And I never agreed to follow your commands, supreme leader," said Rey, her snappiness clearly returning.

"You are my prisoner," Ben barked.

"Only so I could get a ride out of here." Rey stomped into the downed craft. "Clearly you can't provide that anymore." She slammed the shuttle door closed.

"Fine!" Ben shouted, before storming off.

He stomped through the woods, angrily kicking a few rocks and logs as he passed them. Then for some odd reason, he began to remember the last conversation he had with his mother. He seemed to hear her words in the wind. "Her trust is hard to win over."

And he remembered his response. "I'll protect her, mom," or he was almost going to say mom. "She will be treated well." Of course he didn't know his mom was talking about Rey then, but it is obvious to him now.

'She doesn't want my help,' his mind responded.

'If you leave her now, anyone could come. And she's pretty much unarmed thanks to you,' the compassionate side of him turned.

He then remembered Snoke taunting him with his own compassion. A weakness, he'd been taught. He could hear his old master's voice saying the word, "Weak."

He stopped, and sat down on a large log. The image of Snoke dropping dead, and the two of them fighting to survive against the Praetorian Guard filled his mind. He knew one of them alone wouldn't have stood a chance in that fight. But thanks to his compassion, they both did.

Ben stood up determined. He chose a path and marched through the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it. I have a clear idea on the direction to take this piece, though I'm not sure about all of the steps to get there yet. In a couple chapters we'll catch up again with the Ghosts, it'll be a flash back chapter over some of these events. I'll try to make it clear then.


	8. Chapter 8 - Campsite Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: A part is missing from both shuttles. Rey refuses to listen to Kylo Ren if he's going to order her around. Ben stormed off, then gave serious thought to what his mother told him about Rey.

Chapter 8

"His Prisoner!" Rey shouted at no one. She stood in the forest a little ways from the ship looking up into the branches of a tree. "He thought I'd be his prisoner!" Rey reached up and climbed into the tree. She went to one of it's low but sturdy branches, and perched her legs onto it, gripping a higher branch to hold most of her weight. "The arrogance! He thinks I'm so desperate for his company that I'd just follow him and do whatever he says." She made a motion as if she were jumping, but her legs didn't leave the branch below her. Then she Pushes down with more force and hears it snap as the large branch falls to the forest below. "I'll show him. I can defend myself." Rey drops out of the tree, and picks up the large branch. It wasn't as well made as her own staff, but it would be an effective weapon.

She walks back to the ship with her new staff in hand. When she gets there she pulls it up in a defensive position. She hears someone.

"Glad to see you've started collecting firewood," Ben said coolly from her left. She spun around to face him, keeping the new staff in front of her. Ben stood leaning over, clearing brush from an area on the forest floor. There was a small pile of firewood started, and one of the bags he carried was open revealing pieces of a tent.

"Come take it then," Rey would not be tempted. She turned her staff in a threatening way, preparing for a fight.

Ben stopped and looked up at her, then he turned his face again to hide a smile, and said, "What do you expect to do with that, Fight off a team of thugs with a stick."

"I've done worse," said Rey.

"You want a weapon, try this." Ben reached into one of his bags and pulled out a lightsaber.

Rey's Eyes went wide when she saw this. "It's the broken one from my room. You were going to steal it!"

Ben reached out to offer Rey the lightsaber. "Technically, you're the one who stole it first. I repaired it, thanks to your friend Rose."

Rey took the lightsaber, still holding her staff defensively. When she had it she leaned the staff against a tree and turned on the lightsaber. She twisted it around and mock attacked a tree to test out the blade.

Meanwhile Ben tried to pretend he was working, even kneeling by the bag with the tent, but his eyes kept straying over to watch Rey move with the lightsaber. Each time her eyes moved in his direction he looked away, down to the tent below him, or off to the distance.

"Have you never put up a tent before," Rey's voice interrupted one of these escapades.

"No, Uh, I have," Ben flustered.

"When they showed it to me, it was as simple as pulling this loop right here." Rey used her staff to point to a brown metal and fabric ring, right in front of Ben.

"Yes, well I was just thinking about it's placement. The ground here is loose, and I want to make sure it has enough for the stakes to hold onto," Ben tried to sound serious.

"Well, it's enough to hold all these trees up," Rey said as Ben pulled the loop. Suddenly the tent unfolded, and it's pieces mechanically snapped into place. They heard a loud crack as stakes on all four corners of the tent were shot as if from an invisible gun into the ground.

While the tent was opening, Ben stood and turned to glance at Rey. She had attached the lightsaber to her belt, and had attached the staff to a unique clasp on the back of her belt, keeping it within arms reach.

"What are you thinking?" asked Rey.

Ben quickly diverted his eyes, and gave her the first answer that came to him. "Firewood, we need to gather firewood."

Rey rolled her eyes, and turned to march back into the forest.

Later that night, firewood was gathered and a fire was started using a bit of Rey's tech skills, and a broken piece of the ship. This was when Ben surprised her by pulling out the food he saved earlier.

"Where did you get that?" Rey asked.

Ben pointed to the downed craft beside them. "I think it was stocked up for someone's date night at that resistance of yours. Then the General locked me in it and had it bring me here."

"So you didn't crash land. Good, I was a little worried. I almost let you pilot me out of here."

Ben opened the container of steaks, and placed them onto a salvaged piece of metal grating that was positioned over the fire to make a grill.

Rey continued, "Then with Han as a Father, I…" Her voice trailed off, when she realized who she'd brought up.

Ben felt a lot of emotions surge up at once when she said his name. Then there was several minutes where the only sound between them was the cracking of the fire or the sizzling of food. Eventually he let a small laugh escape. "Han would've blew a gasket if I did that to one of his shuttles." Rey laughed in response to this, and Ben felt the weight of the moment lift away.

"Is this all the food we've got?" asked Rey.

"No, There were a few days rations in the First Order shuttle, but this is all that is fresh," Ben answered her. After a minute, he asked, "Odd thing is, it's code to have a whole weeks. Plus a full med kit is missing. How did they let you even leave in that thing?" Ben asked.

"Well, They didn't exactly let me leave. There was a battalion being sent out, and I kinda snuck into the hanger and left when they did."

"A battalion, we were in a First Order system!" Ben looked confused. "Hux wouldn't send an army anywhere without consulting me first, anyway. What did he say was the problem?"

"He never spoke to me. It was all thanks to Luke that I avoided him to get out of there anyway," said Rey.

"Luke, you didn't tell him what was going on, did you?" Ben looked worried.

"I did. He's the one who told me where to find you," answered Rey.

Ben winced. "Of course, that's how my mom knew. Of course, by now she knows all about the… too. Why did you have to tell Luke anything!"

"Oh, I don't know. I was alone, in a strange man's room. In the body of my enemy, and I didn't know how to get back." Rey shouted back at him.

Ben huffed. He took a portion of the food onto his plate, and stormed into the tent, shutting its door behind him. Inside he struggled with tears, that seemed to want to pour out. He was surprised the words that bothered him most were 'strange man,' and 'my enemy,' and his mind kept repeating them to him all night long.

Rey was both angry and shocked. Angry that he would make such a big deal over who helped her, and shocked that he would turn and retreat. She took a portion of the food, and retreated into the shuttle to spend the night. 'He wants to be alone, let him be alone,' she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that did not go well. Looks like they did not get to the Wine. But, the Date is not over yet. In the next chapter I'll show what the Force Ghosts have been planning. It will start a bit before this chapter.
> 
> If you've enjoyed this, please leave a comment. And subscribe to the story to know when I post new chapters. I have 22 on Fanfiction.net so far, and I will be re-posting here as quickly as I can. Though the story is not even remotely done yet.


	9. Chapter 9 - Plans are Laid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben returns to camp with Rey. They have an argument about Luke before going to sleep. Ben gives Rey back the Lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of this chapter takes place while the previous chapters are occurring, but I hope their are enough clues to help you follow it all.

Chapter 9

Earlier That Day:

"Alright everyone, Rey is landing now. They will be ready soon," Luke announced to a group of former Jedi, who stood gathered in the other relm.

Suddenly everyone appeared in the relm of the living, surrounding a pair of Force Sensitives, who stood transfixed by the sight of each other. Then one of them stomped towards the other, seemingly irritated.

Obi Wan gave a hand signal to the group, and they all began to pour their energy into moving the force through the two. Rey and Ben floated in midair for a few seconds, and began to spin. They eyed their arms. Shock was written on their faces. Then both seemed to fall unconscious, though their bodies were still held up by the force. In a few moments, Obi Wan gave another hand signal, and the two were lowered into the grass below.

While the others were doing this, Luke looked over, and saw Anakin standing by the ship. He laid a hand over a panel on the ship and a part of it's inner workings appeared in his hand. "So they don't fly away before we're done with them," he said. "I did the same to the other ship."

"Shouldn't we just cause a break down?" asked Luke.

"If the ships break down, they will stay here fixing them, but if they have a part stolen, then they will have something to look for."

"Ooh," said Luke.

"We should get out of here before they wake up," said Obi Wan.

"Yes, we have to go over the plans for tomorrow again," Luke pointed out.

Suddenly the group was gathered in the other relm again. Anakin who was standing beside Luke, facing the group, rolled his eyes. "We have been over this plan again, and again. We are as prepared as we can be."

"Tomorrow is the Equinox, that means it is the one chance all year we have to do this. Ok, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn lets start with your roles."

The group discussed their parts to the plan for a while. Then Yoda appeared in their presence. "Trouble, we have. Separated, the younglings have."

"Oh, for Jedi's sake. I'll have to go talk to them." Luke sighed.

Obi Wan stood up and spoke. "What do you plan to do."

"Well, I'll order them to join each other again. This plan won't work unless they are near each other tomorrow morning," explained Luke.

Qui-Gon Jinn laughed. "And you think these younglings will listen to you if you order them."

"Yes, I was master to both of them. Yoda was there, he'll speak for me. Out of all of you, he was the one who appeared to counsel me when I was on Ahch-To."

"Drew straws we did. I Lost," said Yoda.

Then Anakin reappeared in the relm. "It's ok. He's returning to her now. I reminded him what his mother said. A little trick of the wind. Leia is a brilliant woman. Padmé is excited to meet her daughter one day."

Luke huffed, and went back to questioning the group about the plans for the next day.

The next day, in the remains of a village of Calabria's former residents, a group of Force Ghosts suddenly appeared in our relm. Only, this time they appeared as any flesh and blood being. In fact, no distinction could be made between their appearance in life and now. Luke, with his beard hanging low, turned to look around. "Alright, you two. Get up to that roof. We want to look like we are survivors rebuilding this place."

Then Luke turned to Obi Wan, starting to say something, but took a step back. Obi Wan laughed, and said, "I thought the younglings would respond better to this appearance. It'd be hard to be romantic with an old man watching your every move." Obi Wan did look much younger than Luke ever remembered seeing him.

"But how?" Luke still stood in shock.

Anakin stood nearby and was nodding to Obi Wan's response. He looked at Luke, and winked. "I'll show you later, son." Luke still looked on with his mouth hanging open, so Anakin added, "How do you think I appear so young all the time?"

"You said, because that's the face from when you were last a Jedi," Luke answered.

"Yes, and my mental image of myself is as I was as a Jedi." Anakin explained.

"So, it's because of your ego?" Luke asked.

"Yup," answered Obi Wan, and every one else nodded.

"Alright everyone. We're going to try to act natural. No walking through walls, and no obvious Jedi tricks. Luke will be coordinating everything from the big house, because he's the only one of us these younglings will recognize. Everyone else, you have your roles. Lets go!" said Anakin.


	10. Chapter 10 - Suspicious Invite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: The Force Ghosts are using the Equinox to appear as living beings in this relm. But they have only one day to do it.

Chapter 10

The next morning Ben woke with dawn and left his tent. He saw that Rey had sealed herself into the broken shuttle, and he debated trying to open it to wake her. In the end, though, he packed up their belongings, and prepared a quick meal out of the leftovers from last night's meal. He used the force to relight the ashes from the fire, and mixed water with the container of Patok flour to make some flat cakes, into which he folded in some Reenole Berries.

Rey woke up to the smell of food cooking, and timidly joined him. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like forever. Then out of nowhere there came a voice. Both Ben and Rey turned immediately to see a Tholothian woman, wearing a long white dress, walking through the woods towards their camp.

"Greetings travelers, if you are looking for food and lodgings, I recommend our village. It's south of here, past where your other ship landed," she spoke.

Ben squinted to study her. Rey pulled out her makeshift staff before the woman finished speaking. "Who are you?" Ben questioned.

"My name is Adi, I am a survivor of the First Order's invasion of Calabria," she said.

"There were no survivors," Ben said without pause.

"B…," Rey started to speak, but Ben held out his hand and seemed to stop her voice in her mouth.

"I am Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order. Every citizen on Calabria was moved to one of our forced labor camps over three years ago. But I don't care if or how you've escaped the First Order's eye. If you want to keep your settlement, and your life, I'd suggest you give us back the stolen parts to our shuttles.

Ben and Rey both expected Adi to respond with some level of anxiety. She hardly blinked, even when Ben pulled out his lightsaber and whacked a branch near her head with it.

"I will inquire about your missing part to my community. Though I won't tell anyone who you are. Go to the village. I will find you there when I have news." She turned to walk away. Then just before she left their eyesight, she turned back and said, "But perhaps your friend should wear something more traditional, if you wish to blend in. A dress, perhaps." She continued walking and soon was out of view.

"What was that about. She was only greeting us, and you threatened her and her village." Rey turned to Ben and complained.

"You were the first to pull out a weapon," Ben said calmly.

"In defense! I didn't throw it around attempting to scare her!" Rey shouted.

"And what would you have done. I showed her power, so she wouldn't go back and tell her friends that we're weak!" Ben yelled back.

"I would have asked her for her help. If she is part of a group looking to attack us, they're gonna do it, regardless of how you threaten one woman," Rey's eyes filled with tears as she angrily yelled at Ben. When she was finished, Ben didn't speak back. She sat down and attempted to clear her eyes, when Ben looked down at her with a beaten puppy dog expression. It only lasted a few seconds, and his face was restored to a cool facade when Rey looked up again. "What do we do now, then."

"We will go check out this village. If it's a trap, it's probably the quickest way to find those who robbed us, and if it's not, It'll have food and lodgings."

"Alright, but what about what she said, about my clothes. I don't own a dress, and I certainly wouldn't have brought one here."

Ben went to his bags and pulled out the dress that was in the ship's hold. He threw it at Rey and she caught it and held it up to her. "I'd ask why, but I'm afraid to know."

"It was in the ship, as I said, someone's date night got ruined by the General's plans for me." Ben summarized.

"Yes, but if I were going on a date. I'd wear the dress to the date."

"You've gone on so many dates. I thought you didn't even own a dress." Ben didn't know why, but this thought made him mad.

"Hey, don't get snappy. I'm only guessing." Rey disappeared into the shuttle to try on the dress.

When she emerged, Ben was so stunned he dropped what he was holding. The long blue dress had a silky texture and it glinted in the sunlight. It had a long cut up the side to make walking easier. She had somehow placed her belt over the dress waistline, and it held her two weapons still.

"You won't need that," Ben said, pointing to the belt.

"And where else do you suggest I put my lightsaber or my staff."

"You won't need weapons. If there is anyone in this village, you can try your nonthreatening approach." Ben raised a hand, and the belt unclicked and flew to his hands.

"Hey! And what if it is a trap."

"Then I will be armed enough for the both of us." He removed the lightsaber and placed it on his own belt. Rey also noticed then that he had somehow acquired a blaster, as it was also on his belt.

Rey reached and out flew her staff. She glared at Ben, as she leaned her weight on it as a walking stick.

"As you wish." Ben said, as he motioned for Rey to step first into the forest.

"You were right about switching Mace Windu and Adi Gallia's roles. She did well, and they are on their way." said Luke. "Though I don't know why you insisted she suggest the dress."

"Are you kidding me. Did you see his face when she came out wearing it." Anakin said.

"He looked surprised."

"He looked aroused. Leia was wise to send it."

"This might work better than we hoped," said Luke.

"Don't get too excited, son. The next step is getting him to know what he wants," said Anakin.

"And convincing that boy of anything will be hard. He has his mother's stubborn side, and his father's emotive intelligence," Luke agreed.

"We better get to work then," said Anakin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know by now this seems like begging, but PLEEEAAAASE leave your comments. I am practicing some new skills with my writing. I can take criticism, but I need feedback to know what is working and what's not. Thank you all who've already left their thoughts.


	11. Chapter 11 - The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben and Rey were invited to a mysterious village on Calabria. Rey puts on the Dress, while Ben is suspicious of the invite.

Chapter 11

The village was small, with homes built from timber and stone. There was a well built in the center of town and gas streetlamps. Red ribbons were tied to every surface imaginable. The people there all seemed to be cheerful and smiled at the new arrivals as they walked into the square.

"Well, it is a village, and I don't see signs of a trap. How about you take your hand off your lightsaber and greet someone with a smile," whispered Rey. Ben's hand relaxed by his side, but he didn't smile.

Just then a man walked up and reached out a hand to Rey. He was a tall human, with a complexion similar to Finn's.

"I wouldn't!" shouted Ben, as he put his hand up to block Rey. His other hand was back on his lightsaber and a scowl was on his face.

The man's face broke in a smile, and he moved his hands to reveal a ribbon. "Greetings on this Amans 'Dies, may I tie a ribbon to the lady's arm." Indeed, they looked around and the women present all had a red ribbon tied to their left forearm. Ben took the ribbon from the man, and turned to Rey. He looked into her eyes, seeming to ask for permission. She turned her arm to him, and he wrapped it around her arm, tying it with a firm knot.

Then he turned back to the man, but he seemed to have disappeared into the crowds as quickly as he came. They walked further, and Rey noticed that a lot of the people seemed to be looking at them. Not staring, exactly, but quick glances aimed at nothing in particular seemed to gravitate towards them.

Ben must have noticed something too, because as they walked down the street, he moved his arm around Rey's opposite side. "Don't," she warned him before he made contact. And he pulled back to a merely protective distance as he eyed the crowd suspiciously. He stopped by what looked like a shop front and motioned for Rey to step inside.

Rey looked at the goods displayed in the shop. There was never much of a market on Jakku. Occasionally another trader would set up his shop, but Unkar Plutt's goons quickly drove them out of town. A couple of times she tried to trade with them, but they only traded in credits, and once they were driven off, their credits were worthless. Unkar Plutt saw it that way. And you can't eat a credit, can you? At this store there were more goods available than were ever available on Jakku. Though the shop was small, it was seemingly packed with items.

Ben paid little attention to the goods, and went straight to the shopkeeper. "Merry Amans 'Dies, and welcome to my shop," the shopkeeper greeted.

Ben nodded a greeting at the shopkeeper. "I'm looking for a ship part. An engine Cole-Noss Hub."

"I'm sorry, we don't have anything like that here," the shopkeeper answered.

"I have reason to believe one will be made available soon. And I will pay handsomely for it," said Ben.

"Even so, I doubt that it would be sold here. The people don't buy any technology here. We live simple lives. But if I do hear anything, I will find you. They call me Jinn," the shopkeeper said as he offered a hand to Ben. "Amans 'Dies is as good a time as any to visit. While you are here, try the inn, just down the street. Has the best food around. Is there an Amans 'Dies gift I can get for your lady."

Ben felt flustered at first, but then a whisper from the logical part of his brain said it would be convenient to just let them think you're a couple to avoid issues. After all, it's more normal for couples to travel together than uncoupled pairings. When he looked over at Rey, she was examining a hair care set, with a hairbrush, a few colorful clips, an intricately carved mirror.

"Perhaps she'd like a flower, for her hair," Jinn suggested.

"How much for the hair kit?" Ben asked. The fact that this gift had an obvious function made him feel more secure choosing it, though he still feared she'd reject it, as she rejected him on the supremacy.

Rey, however, accepted the gift gladly. She smiled when he handed it to her, and carried it in it's small bag as a lady carries a purse.

When the shopkeeper mentioned his price, Ben gave him the numbers to his account, which the shopkeeper wrote down with an old-fashioned paper and pencil. Before they left, he thought to ask how he planned to cash in, without any technology in their village, but he didn't want to cause any issues with the dealer clearly willing to accept payment. 'Maybe such technologies are secret here. Better not upset the natural course of things.' He thought.

When they walked into the inn, Ben leaned over and whispered to Rey, "Go over there, and ask if anyone is selling ship parts." Then he walked the other direction to a bar where several men were seated.

Rey did as he suggested. She approached a man at a service desk and said "Excuse me."

Before he turned around, a young boy came up behind her and tugged at her dress. He had a round face with blond hair and he was about ten years old.

"Hi," sad the boy.

"What are you doing!" said the man behind the desk, who'd finally turned around.

"Helping." said the boy with a confrontational tone to his voice.

"Go upstairs and get your older brother," said the man.

"He's busy," said the boy. Then he turned to Rey and said, "You won't find anyone around here selling ship parts." Rey's mouth dropped. "I heard you when you came in with your boyfriend." He started to walk away, and Rey followed him.

"Ah, he's not..." Rey started.

"But he tied your arm. This is Amans 'Dies." When he said this, Rey blushed, and the boy smiled even bigger. "You can sit here, this is the best table. My name is Ani."

"Making friends?" Ben said, as he approached.

"This is Ani. He was telling me we won't find any ships parts here."

Ani tilted his head to the side, "Doesn't she look like an Angel, in that pretty dress?" he looked up at Ben, expecting an answer.

"Uh, yeah, she does," Ben responded.

"You are too sweet," Rey smiled at the boy.

"And what has my bumptious boy, here been telling you." The man who was behind the counter approached in a server's apron. It was hard to catch, but he seemed to glare at Ani.

"Oh, he's been nothing but kind."

"Go," He says, looking at the boy. Young Ani obeyed. Then he said, "My name is Ben."

Rey's eyes reacted and she looked into Ben's eyes. "Another Ben."

"It's a common name," Ben said.

"May I get you something to eat? The house special, perhaps." Ben the server said.

Ben nodded, and the server left. "Have you seen anything, suspicious?" Ben asked.

"No?" Rey didn't know why he was asking.

"Like, perhaps how those two men on that rooftop," Ben pointed out a window, "keep returning to hammer the same tile of roof. Or perhaps how they all stop talking the second you approach, and smile at you like they're expecting a show?" Ben persisted.

"I think you're a poor looser. These people are nice, and you're just seeing things," Rey said.

Ben rolled his eyes, then said, "I did learn something from their feeble attempts at small talk. There is an old junkyard, from when this place used to take in tourists, east of here. It is a long shot, but..."

"It might have what we're looking for," Rey finished.

Suddenly the server Ben came back. He had a full meal on his trays, more than anyone else seemed to be eating. He also had two empty wineglasses, for which he apologized. "I'm sorry, but today we are bring your own on the drinks. If you have your own, I'd be happy to open it for you."

Ben looked over at the pleased face of Rey, who was eyeing the choices of food presented to her. He then nodded to the server and pulled out the bottle from his bag. The server poured their glasses, then left the table. Rey didn't notice the exchange.

Ben enjoyed the food, but he enjoyed watching Rey enjoy the meal even more. She ate more than he'd seen any woman her size eat. Each new food she'd try seemed to be a whole new experience for her. Some tastes she'd wrinkle her nose at, and he thought the expression was cute. Others she'd roll her eyes back and lick her lips wanting more.

Except for a haunting suspicion creeping up his spine, he would say he had a pleasant meal. What exactly caused his suspicions was hard to nail down. There were little things, like the men working on the roof. The fact that everyone was eating, even though he never saw the server bring out food for them. Yet if he brought it up again with Rey, he knew she'd dismiss him as being petty.

When they were almost finished eating, Rey pulled out the small mirror from her bag of supplies, and used it to wipe her hair behind her ears. While she looked in the mirror, she concentrated her eyes, and then looked up at Ben with a worried expression on her face. She turned the mirror to him and asked, "What do you see?"

Ben looked closely at it, worried that there may be a crack in the mirror lens, but he saw no noticeable flaw. He looked back at her for more information, and she turned the mirror slightly. He looked again, and saw an empty table. More, and he saw an empty bar. Then Ben turned around and saw that the room was definitely not empty. His eyes reflected the worry in hers. "Put this away," Ben said. Then he got up and looked around for an exit.

There was a man with a fiddle, playing badly, though no one seemed bothered. He kept circling their table in his course around the room. There was also Ben, the server, who seemed to be tending behind the inn's main desk. Every few minutes he'd turn around and put mail into slots behind the desk. Ben reached for Rey. Her hand became stiff to his grasp, but she did not pull away. Ben timed it so they bolted for the door wile the server was busy, and while the fiddle player was on the other side of the room. One of the patrons stood up as they were running, but they didn't stop.

Outside, the village seemed to be quiet. Villagers were standing around, quietly talking. Then one of them looked up and saw Ben and Rey. Suddenly the village activity increased, and the people started walking in and out of buildings and around the square again. Then a man, the one who first approached Rey with the ribbon, broke from the group and started walking towards them.

"Run," Ben shouted, and Rey didn't object. She just Ran.

"Wait," shouted the man, but Rey and Ben were not stopping.

They did stop panting about a mile away. "Still think they're nice?" Ben poked.

"No. I used to hear stories about men without reflections. It's said they're undead bloodsuckers. Do you think that's what they were?" asked Rey.

"I heard those stories too. And I don't care to find out," replied Ben.

"They WHAT!" shouted Luke. "This is a complete Disaster."

"Now, I don't think it was a complete waist of time," said Anakin. "We don't know why they left yet, but they did leave together."

"If you had stayed on script, you were supposed to be a young man, not a child."

"Children tend to stimulate the maternal instincts and encourage reproduction."

Oh, you and your grandchildren again! We're not doing this to make babies, we're doing this to save Ben. I know what sent them running, it was your 'You look like an Angel,'" said Luke.

"Hey, I'll have you know, I used that line on your mother," Anakin said.

Luke made a gross face, and shook his head at Anakin. "I did not need to know that!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I went to Google Translate and typed in Lover's Day, Amans 'Dies was the Latin translation. I thought I found gold.


	12. Chapter 12 - Scavenged Communications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey and Ben do some shopping and have dinner at the village. Only they end up fleeing the village when they realize no one there has a reflection. Ben learns of a Junkyard of abandoned ships from back when the planet took on tourists during the old republic days.

Chapter 12

"What are you doing in there?" Ben's voice boomed from above her.

"I'm almost done," Rey said, before she pulled another piece of machinery out of a very old freighter. Then she wrapped the items in the cloak she suggested Ben lend her for her expeditions. He wasn't too happy when he saw the junk yard of old ships. She guessed he was hoping for a well made craft ready to fly out of there. Rey, on the other hand, looked at the junkyard like a kid in a candy store. She knew she'd find valuable parts to scavenge in each and every one of the ships, and that's just what she was doing. Sure, she knew they only needed one part for the First Order craft to fly, but that didn't mean she was going to leave the rest of it all behind.

"Always a Scavenger," quipped Ben, when she emerged and he saw the pack she brought out. "Is there a Cole-Noss Hub in here somewhere?"

"Yes," said Rey, before she dug in and presented him with the part.

"Good, then we can leave here," Ben said. He walked a little, then turned back. "You're still coming, as my guest."

"I wouldn't be your guest, Ben. The first order knows I'm with the resistance, and they have a funny idea about me killing Snoke, from what I read on the bounty orders," said Rey.

"Then what do you want me to do. Leave you here, with those bloodsuckers and who knows what else." Ben sighed.

I've also found this." She pulled out another device. "It's a comm, and it looks like it still works."

"That's an ancient thing. It uses radio waves to transmit. Hardly anyone still uses radio waves. Plus they'd need to be really close by to receive you," said Ben.

"Then I'll try, and I'll keep trying. Plus there's more items in these ships. Who knows what else I'll find if I keep searching."

Ben looked up to the sky. He felt like crying, but he clenched his emotions at their source. When he looked back down, his eyes appeared angry. It was the only safe emotion with Snoke as your master. "Fine, make your call. I'll stay till someone answers. Then you're on your own."

Rey pulled out the comm again. It had been almost two days since she found the device, and she'd been transmitting a message every hour, on the hour. "Code Seventeen E Nineteen Blue Fish Sky." That was the code the resistance gave her.

"Red Gate Eleven G Five," came a voice over the comm. It was Finn's voice, and Rey squealed with delight.

"Finn, how wonderful. I'd been transmitting for ages, hoping someone would hear."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Rose and I had to pull half the Falcon apart to find the compartment where the device was stored. We kept hearing its buzzing, but didn't know where it was coming from."

"You and Rose have come to my rescue, yet again." Rey said, as Ben popped his head into their tent.

"Yeah, The General sent us here after you left. Said you were on a secret mission, and we were to sit on the Falcon as backup," Finn said.

"It figures, the Falcon would have a radio transmitter. Han never could throw anything away," said Ben.

"Is that Kylo Ren?" Finn's voice whispered.

Rey eyed Ben, fear creeping across her face. "Yeah. He'll be gone by the time you get here though."

"Back to the First Order?" summarized Finn.

"Ah, he might not want to do that," came the voice of Rose. It was silent for half a minute.

"There's been a holo-transmission from a First Order News Buoy." Finn explained.

"More propaganda?" asked Rey.

"This one had real news, of sorts," said Rose, "and he may want to listen to it before he goes back."

"If he doesn't, lets just say, he'll be dead before your next Force chat thing," Finn added. "Yeah, I know. Rose told me what she thought was going on when we saw Kylo Ren's ship fly in."

"I..." Rey started to stammer out an apology, but Finn interrupted her.

"It's ok. We'll talk about it when we get there."

Rey and Ben looked at each other. Rey's eyes seemed to question what he was going to do next. Then Ben sat down in answer and said, "I guess we wait and see."

Ben didn't know what danger there could be for the Supreme Leader, or why the traitor and rebel would care so much to warn him, but if there was a danger, he knew the intel would be worth the wait.


	13. Chapter 13 - The News Holo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: The Falcon is coming to them. Ben agreed to stay because they have a recording that they are sure he'll want to hear before he leaves.

Chapter 13

It was an hour and a half before they heard the purr of the Millennium Falcon's engines as it circled looking for a place to land. Ben felt an immediate surge of emotions when he saw the ship, and he quickly ducked into the First Order Shuttle, to avoid them. He did not intend to step foot on the Falcon. They could show him the news-holo on a portable device. And after which, he intended to leave this place as fast as he could.

Rey stood outside looking up as she very much looked forward to seeing her friends again. Their tent and few belongings had been packed up, and were piled with the scavenged parts Rey had been collecting from the 'junkyard.' Though Rey was hesitant to use that noun, as compared to the best junk on Jakku, where everything had been scavenged by hundreds of scavengers before, this place may well be called a gold mine. And she made several trips back to that gold mine while waiting for someone to respond to her calls.

As the boarding ramp lowered, Rey smiled and waved to Finn and Rose. Ben stepped out of the shuttle then, and eyed them suspiciously. Behind them roared a greeting from Chewbacca, as he left the cockpit and came around to join them.

The looks on Finn and Rose's faces were ones of worry, especially once they looked over and saw Kylo Ren glaring at them from his shuttle hatch.

"Here, you'll both want to see this," said Finn, as he handed Rey a device.

As Ben walked behind Rey to see the device, Finn and Rose both jumped back a step. Chewy didn't move a muscle. All three had their weapons pulled and aimed at Ben. "You all know, if I wanted to, I could take you out from back there," he said pointing to his ship.

Chewy alone growled a response, which Ben ignored.

Ben looked at Rey, and she pushed the button on the device to play its recording.

A three-dimensional representation of Hux popped out of the device. The expression on his face seemed to be sad, though Ben could see the twitch in his eyebrow that was his tell. "Everyone, I come to you today to share grave news. Our Supreme Leader Kylo Ren is dead," his voice seemed to break at this last word. "He was murdered by an assassin yesterday morning. His last words were to promote me to Supreme General, and to bid me with his wishes for the First Order." Hux had tears in his eyes as he said this. "I only hope I can live up to his infinite wisdom. Despite our best efforts, his assassin fled and is still on the loose. This is the face of the assassin." A holo-image of Ben was brought up on the device, and Hux's face seethed with anger. "According to our intelligence he received plastic surgery somewhere in the Outer Rim so that he would look like Supreme Leader Ren. His appearance, even his fingerprints are almost an exact match. It was hard for our people to tell the difference, but he is a dangerous man, a force sensitive killer. If you see him, alert your authorities immediately. And do not fall for his manipulative claims to be the Supreme Leader. Let today be a day of mourning as we remember our fallen leader." Hux took a moment to hang his head in sadness, then his image broke apart, and disappeared.

Everyone was silent for a while after the transmission. "Well, that's obviously a lie," Rey said. "I mean here you are, not dead, beside me."

Ben opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a loud, guttural yell. It must have frightened his audience because Rose's blaster went off. Ben held out his hand to freeze the shot mid-air, only instead it was deflected left and blasted some trees in the forest instead.

Chewy said something in Shyriiwook.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do," Ben responded.

Chewy spoke again.

"No, I don't have any allies. I knew nothing about this. Hux is a traitorous nerf-herder, but I had no idea he was planning anything so soon."

Chewy hummed a word. Ben looked at him in disbelief. Then Chewy continued.

"Go to the resistance. I'm the displaced leader of the enemy. That's the last place I want to go."

Chewy trilled a reply.

Rey added onto his statement, "He's right. Your mom wouldn't let them hurt you."

Then Finn and Rose looked at each other, before Finn took a step forward. "We're the enemy of your enemy, right. You've got no one else."

Ben let out a long sigh, as he brought his hands through his hair. All to give him time to think and to distract him from the emotions that wanted to rip right through him.

Then Rey held out her hand. "Please, Ben," she said.

And that was all it took. Ben felt his body was drawn to Rey as if on instinct. When his hand was in hers he looked down and nodded in answer. Tears filled his eyes, as his emotions leaked past the cage he used to contain them.

Later, as the girls were packing the scavenged parts on the ship, Rose pausing to ooh and aah over each new part. Every once in a while they'd whisper and one of them would laugh. Ben wondered what conversation they were having, and how much of it had to do with him.

"You don't want to know." came a voice behind him, and Ben half expected to turn and find his dad standing there.

Instead it was Finn. He had been modifying the clamps on Ben's shuttle to allow it to dock with the Falcon's outdated equipment. "Trust me, when girls laugh like that, you're better off not knowing what they're talking about."

"Yeah," Ben nodded.

The two completed their work in quiet. Ben got into the shuttle, and piloted it up to the Falcon's Bay, where Finn hooked it up manually with the docking clamps.

"I just want to say," Finn broke the silence, as he looked up from his work and over at Ben. "The way I see it, we were both taken from our families, in different ways, but we were trained and manipulated into killing for them. We both became traitors, too. Me when I left the First Order, and you when you killed Snoke."

Ben looked up at him, wondering what he was getting at. He knew he should be angry that the stormtrooper would dare compare himself with Kylo Ren. But it was like his anger was out of juice, and the rage just didn't come.

"Yeah, Rey alluded to what happened. I got the rest from Rose when she explained about you guys. I just have to say thank you, for that. For protecting Rey, I mean. Anyways, the way I see it, you and I are more alike then we are different. It doesn't matter what color mask we wore. And if I can help you shed the mask, I'll be here." Finn continued with a nod.

Ben didn't respond, and Finn didn't expect him to. "Are you two ready?" Finn asked Rey and Rose.

"Yes," they replied.

"We have one more shuttle to dock," said Rose.

Ben knew she meant the ship he was sent here in. "You're gonna need a tractor beam." He almost smiled.

As Chewy flew the Falcon to where it crashed, Rose looked down at the wreckage. "Oh, I guess I need to work on the landing maneuvers," She looked over at Ben. "I only got the order as soon as you left that morning."

Rey and Ben turned to look at her in surprise.

"What? You think I can't figure out what's going on." She rolled her eyes and smiled as the Falcon's tractor beam pulled the shuttle up towards them.

Ben held onto a bulkhead as he felt the ship entering Hyperspace. All chances to turn back were gone. They were on their way.


	14. Chapter 14 - Ben's Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Hux claims Supreme Leader Kylo Ren was murdered and has promoted him with his last breaths. Ben agreed to go to the Resistance, because he doesn't have anywhere else to turn.

Chapter 14

When the Falcon lands in the Resistance base hangar, the room is quite full. Finn had used the comm almost an hour ago to let them know about their arrival, and who was on board. Leia stood in front of the crowd. Though many of those present had blasters, no weapons were drawn, as was her order. She wasn't going to have her son agitated into leaving again, or shot by someone's itchy trigger finger.

When the ramp started to lower, she jumped from the crowd and ran to it. Finn and Rose walk off first, and joined the crowd behind her. Rey looked back for a second, then walked down the ramp smiling a shy smile at Leia as she passed. Then Ben walked down the ramp. He didn't stop, even to look Leia in the eye. His face was a scowl, and he fingered his lightsaber, clearly uncertain of his future here. Chewy followed off last, and knowingly looked Leia in the eye.

"Debriefing, conference room three, in five," Leia ordered. "All of you," she added looking straight at Ben. Then she walked past them and out of the hanger. This wasn't the place to have an emotional moment between mother and son. She shoved all that aside as she had work to do. She only hoped he'd be willing to talk to her later.

Leia sat in the conference room waiting for them to file in. Beside her sat Poe, Lieutenant Connix, and a few others whom she had promoted to various positions of leadership after escaping Crait.

In truth, she hadn't yet told any of them the details about the secret mission she sent Rey on those few days ago. Though they all did see the news-holo with her about Kylo Ren's demise. She, at the time, didn't know how much of it was true, only that she hadn't felt his or Rey's death in the force. And then, when her team found out he was on his way here, they became excited with plans on how to use the situation to their advantage.

When the door opened, Leia was surprised to see Ben enter first. His face was still a scowl as he suspiciously eyed the room. He was followed by Rey, Rose, Finn, and lastly Chewbacca. They all sat on the opposite side of the table, in the order they arrived in.

The room was silent for several moments, before Poe finally broke it. "So mission success!" Poe said with an enthusiastic voice. He winked at Rey and on his face was a sly grin.

Rey looked around her confused and asked, "Why is he looking at me like that?"

"He's an adolescent," said Leia with a glare in Poe's direction. She felt like elbowing him too, but it wouldn't be appropriate. Instead she took control of the room and directed the conversation. "Several days ago I became aware of an odd type of Force occurrence between Rey here, and Ben. They switched bodies, and I chose to allow my source to have free reign over how to deal with the situation. Can I assume you've switched back?"

Ben's eyes met his mother's for the first time. They held a look of suspicion.

Rey answered, "Yes, General Leia, We switched back right away. Then we couldn't get either of the ships to fly. They were suddenly missing their Cole-Noss Hubs."

"Rey, you spent time with the First Order, in Kylo Ren..." Connix eyed her General. "Ben's body. What did you see while you were there?"

Rey's nervous eyes looked down before she answered. "Not much really. I saw his quarters, and a few hallways leading to the hanger." Rey answered.

"Did you see any signs of this mutiny when you were there?" one of the others asked.

"No, I mean, I just walked right past a whole bunch of stormtroopers. Lu...Leia's source got me to the hanger. I climbed in one of the shuttles, and flew off when the rest of them did. I saw Hux at a distance sending off a battalion."

Ben eyed Rey again, "That part doesn't make sense. We were in a First Order System. There was no one around to fight. Especially not without consulting the Supreme Leader first."

"That day several of the First Order Command Generals were murdered. We have the reports of a team of Stormtroopers led by a man in black." Connix pulled up a report on the screen.

"That was not me!" shouted Ben, when she brought up an image of a man in Kylo Ren's old mask. "I destroyed that mask."

"Initially there was an accusation of treason against you, but before the command voted, they changed reports to state it was the assassin," Connix added.

"Wait," said Poe. "General, your source in the First Order. Did they say anything about this?"

Leia was about to respond when Ben spoke up. "The source is her dead brother's ghost."

"Jedi can speak to us from beyond the dead, we call it a Force Ghost." Leia explained. "Rey, why don't you continue where you left off, when you noticed the part missing?"

"Well, we were approached by a woman who invited us to their village, which turned out to be inhabited by undead bloodsuckers," said Rey.

Leia almost laughed, but had to contain herself. Poe, beside her, did not. "Wait, Wait. First there are Ghosts, Now there are Undead Bloodsuckers! This has to be a joke. Finn. Buddy?"

"If it were a Joke, would I be here?" Ben pointed out.

"I do remember your unique sense of humor!" said Poe.

Ben made a motion to get up, and Rey's arm flew out to stop him. "I know It's hard to believe, but those people! They did not have reflections. And they swarmed us when we decided to leave. If we didn't run when we did, I don't know what would have happened." Ben looked down at Rey's arm by his chest, and relaxed while she spoke. Chewy and Leia shared another knowing glance, seeing it all. Rey, when she finished, looked to Leia.

"Yes, Continue," said Leia.

"Later we found a junkyard which had the part we needed, and the radio comm, which I used to contact the Falcon. They showed us the news-holo and we persuaded him to come here." She gestured towards Ben beside her.

"And Ben," said Leia, "do you have anything to add to her account."

"Only that I'm not here to join your Resistance. I'll probably leave in a day or two," said Ben.

"Do that and your dead!" Poe went right to the point. "That news-holo went everywhere, and with it went the order to shoot on sight. Sure you may have a couple supporters out there, but getting to them will mean a fight to the death with countless troopers and more."

Ben looked away, and Leia wondered if it would be a mistake to intervene.

Connix spoke up next. "We do have a couple new reports from our spies." She pulled up another image on the monitor. "They say this was the scene of your supposed murder."

Ben looked back at the screen. "Yes, that's my bedroom. Minus the blood."

She pulled up a few more images. Rey held up her hand to stop her at one of them. "Stop, that one there. That was me." It was a photo of the lightsaber hack at his door panel.

"They are saying that's how the assassin got in."

"No, I did that to conceal the fact I hacked the door getting out."

"What do you mean, you hacked the door?" said Ben.

"It was locked," insisted Rey, confused again.

"And that didn't strike you as strange! Why would I lock myself in my own room?" Ben was getting agitated again.

Then Rose raised a hand. When all eyes were on her, she spoke. "If Hux had a bunch of people killed by a look-a-like, then submitted a report accusing you of treason. He'd want to know where you were at the time. So he locked you in your room so you wouldn't have an alibi. Then when he found you gone, he had to improvise."

"Clearly we don't know everything about what went down there," said Leia. "But even if Rey realized what was going on, there would have been little she could do about it. We're glad she got out and to safety in time to bring you here." Leia stared right at Ben with a very stern face, and he looked down to acquiesce. "And you three, do you have anything to add?" Leia looked to where Rose, Finn, and Chewy were sitting.

They all looked at each other. "No ma'am." Finn started.

"Wait, there were other parts Rey scavenged from that junk yard, loaded on the Falcon. We also have Kylo, Uh, Ben's Tie Whisperer onboard too. And the shuttle we sent Ben, uh Rey there in will need some serious repairs before it's operational. Other than that, no, nothing to add," said Rose nervously.

"Well then, you are dismissed," said Leia. "Go, Go." She motioned to her leadership team to leave too. When she and Ben were the only ones left in the room, she took a step closer to him.

"I don't want to do this now." he interrupted her.

She nodded. Then put her business face back on. "You'll go down to the medical wing where you'll submit to whatever tests it takes to prove your identity. Then we'll give you quarters. While you are here, you will obey all orders by my command team, and conduct yourself as the man I raised you to be. No more Kylo Ren! Here you will answer to Ben Solo. Do I make myself clear?" On her face was a look powerful enough to make a Rathtar cower.

Ben rolled his eyes around the room trying to avoid her stare, before finally acquiescing with a nod and a "Yes, Mom."

Unheard by any in our relm, there was another conversation going on in that room.

"Who knew, the infamous Kylo Ren, feared throughout the systems, would stand down to his mommy giving him 'the look.'" Luke's Force Ghost chuckled.

"This is a beneficial turn of events, if I do say so," Anakin mused.

"Well, It's not over yet. All of this, is not for a change in address. No, we still need to bring his heart home." Luke said, and Anakin smiled an agreeing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I know a lot of this chapter was recap, but I couldn't see any other way than to do it this way. I hope it is still enjoyable. Thank you to all who have been leaving comments, I love reading what you post.


	15. Chapter 15 - Finn's Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Leia accepts Ben back to the resistance, with rules. He can't go by Kylo Ren anymore. The first order has orders to shoot-on-sight, so Ben has to follow these rules.

Chapter 15

Ben sulked through the base. The short redhead that his mom called on to escort him hurried on ahead. He seemed both afraid of what they'd do to him if he left Ben Solo unescorted, and of what Kylo Ren would do if he caught up to him in the hallway. Still, it didn't bother Ben much. He was used to troopers taking extra effort to avoid him.

When they arrived at his quarters Ben was surprised to find the door opened to his hand print. He wasn't getting locked into a cell somewhere. The room was simple, and furnished in a similarly eclectic style to Rey's, but with different furniture. There was even a desk against the wall. On the bed sat a box, and there were already a few outfits hanging in the closet.

Attached to the outside of the box was a note. It read, "Son, I can't say how, but I always knew you'd come home one day. Inside are a few of the trinkets a mother saves."

Ben opened the box next. Inside was an old calligraphy kit, a practice saber, and a model battlecruiser he used to play with as a boy. But the item that stood out to him was an old stuffed Tauntaun. Ben was absorbed into memories of how he used to carry it everywhere. So much that his parents seemed to get worried. If he lost it he would scream and cry until his dad found it again. One day his parents told him that it was gone, and they endured a tantrum of unmatched proportions. Ben remembered feeling like his only friend was gone. But here the toy was. It still had the stitching his mom applied once to 'heal' a boo-boo it sustained after getting lost one day.

A buzzer by the door interrupted his memories. Ben put the toys back into the box and went to answer it.

"Hello, FN- uh Finn," Ben greeted.

"I wondered if you wanted to grab a bite to eat. I could show you around," Finn suggested.

Ben wasn't really in the mood for a social outing right now. He looked away, as he formed his refusal, until Finn spoke again.

"Or we could go see if Rey wants to hang out."

Ben's eyes snapped up and he responded, "Alright." He shut his door on the way out.

Finn proved to be a decent tour-guide, as they walked through the base. He even shared a tablet with a map, and all the complicated hallways seemed to make much more sense. Finn wasn't afraid of Kylo Ren, and talked to him with ease. Despite how much Ben scowled and glared at him.

They went into a workshop while Finn went on telling him some story about his jacket. Ben, in truth, hadn't been listening too closely. And when they stepped into the workshop his eyes went right to a pair of legs that could be seen stuck out from under an X-Wing.

Rey pulled herself out when Rose greeted Finn. As they hugged she eyed Ben carefully.

"What do you think, care to join us for a meal?" Finn asked the room, which included both Rose and Rey.

Rey turned from Ben and smiled at her friend, and nodded her assent. She grabbed a towel before leaving and wiped grease from her hands. Ben watched her closely as she did this, his face no longer a scowl.

"I don't know how you could enjoy cafeteria food so much," quipped Poe, as he approached their table with a tray of food.

"You grow up with next to nothing to eat, you'll appreciate anything." Rey responded.

Ben, who was sitting across from Rey, glared at Poe as he sat down beside Rey.

"I see you're making yourself at home," Poe said to Ben. He paused for a moment, but when Ben didn't respond he turned to Rey and Rose again. "So how long till I get my X-Wing back."

"How long till you learn not to damage it," Rose quipped.

"Now that's not fair. There was a guy with a Starfighter claiming his ship was faster. Said a few things about the Resistance that I'm too much of a gentleman to repeat. It was for all our sakes I showed him up. Not my fault he's a poor loser,"

"Only you, Poe, can turn a simple supply run to a rescue and tow," joked Rey.

"Well, you're going to have to wait for your X-Wing. We were hoping the girls would take the rest of the day off and join us as I finish the grand tour," said Finn, as he motioned to Ben.

"That sounds like so much fun!" said Rose excitedly.

Poe put on a childish pout, before elbowing Rey. Rey immediately pulled back her shoulder from him and Ben just glared from across the table. Poe didn't seem to notice either when he said, "Ok, I guess I'm gonna have to stay on desk duty then. You folks enjoy your day. I gotta get back before someone misses this handsome face, or disaster happens, whichever's sooner. See you all later." Poe picked up his tray and carried it out of the cafeteria with him.

After lunch Finn finished his tour. Ben silently followed him and Rose as they talked about this or that. Rey was silent too, though she did speak up every once in a while.

"And this is the training room." Finn said as he opened a set of double doors. Inside was a very large gym. Mostly empty space with equipment off to the side.

Ben walked in and examined everything. "I can see why the first order is triumphing."

"It isn't much, but we make good use of it," said Rey.

"Care to demonstrate?" Ben asked, pulling the lightsaber he was surprised they let him keep from his belt.

Rey still had the repaired lightsaber on her belt. She pulled it out and a look of exhilaration came over her face. "You're on!"

Rey took the offensive right away, and Ben pulled up his saber and deflected her blow immediately. Then he spun around to take advantage of an opening she left to her side. Before he could strike, she moved her saber to block his. They continued like this for some time. To those watching it seemed like a dance. One would strike, while the other would parry. But Ben was learning about Rey through all of this. When he was ready, Ben feint an attack, quickly pulling out and around to take advantage of the weak spot Rey's defensive parry left open. Her saber was knocked out of her hand, and Ben stood triumphant. But before Ben came in to pin Rey down, there was a loud bang from across the room. Suddenly a staff flew into Rey's hands. This was no loose branch, this was Rey's tried and true staff. She poked Ben with its tip, agitating him into throwing his massive frame into the fight. Ben, who was used to the advantage his physical strength provided, fell into her trap. Rey was used to fighting opponents much larger than she, and when he stomped towards her, she pulled her staff out and spun around him. Throwing her staff over his head, and pulling back. She soon had him pinned.

Ben disengaged his lightsaber, and Rey whispered in his ear. "Good, for a piece of firewood. Don't you think?" Before Ben could respond, Rey dropped him and looked up to the sound of clapping.

Leia was walking towards them, with an amused look on her face. "Bravo, very well done," she said as she clapped. "Ben, tomorrow at o-eight hundred hours I need you in conference room four. We've decided how to proceed and will brief you then."

Ben nodded to his mother.

"And Rey, next time try summoning a weapon that's in the room with you," Leia added. Rey and Ben both looked over and noticed the staff sized hole in the wall by the hall door.

Rey winced. "Ooh, I'm sorry. I really didn't try that. It just kind of happened."

"Believe me, I understand how that can happen." Leia glanced at Ben then back at Rey. "Just try better next time."

Ben stood watching this with his jaw hanging opened and a look of shock on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't get the chance to go to the movie theater for a while, if I get the chance to go at all. So safe to say this story remains Spoiler Free.
> 
> I hope you like this chapter. I experimented a bit with trying to write an action-y sequence. I've never done so before. So if you could be so kind as to leave a comment as to how you think it works for you, I'd be very grateful.
> 
> I did really consider doing a time jump here, but decided it felt better without it. I already have some ideas for the next chapter, and it's got the Force Bond causing trouble for them again.


	16. Chapter 16 - Naked Truths and Subterfuge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Finn gave Ben a tour. Ben and Rey had a friendly sparring match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger Warning: This chapter starts with a dream with themes of abandonment and assault. It also features an incident of Bullying later on in the chapter.**
> 
> **Additional Warnings: This chapter also has nudity and swearing alluded to. Note, the rating is still T for Teen. No graphic details, promise.**

Chapter 16

After a long and surprisingly not catastrophic day both Ben and Rey curled up in their separate beds to sleep for the night. As Rey slept she tossed and turned with her dreams, which this night were not very pleasant.

Rey was back on Jakku, though she didn't know how she got there. She looked up in the sky and saw the Millennium Falcon make it's departure. Rey cried, as she knew her friends were leaving her behind, again.

Then she felt the cold, hard hands of Unkar Plutt grab her wrist. "Time to put you to work now, little -unny" His Gravely voice said.

Rey was trying and failing to pull free when she felt her leg brush against something warm. It woke her from her slumber. As she turned, she saw she was no longer alone in the bed.

"AAAH," Ben woke to Rey's screams. Then he felt a pillow being thrown in his face.

It took only seconds for Ben to ascertain the situation. He put up a hand. "Rey, I didn't do anything. This is…"

Rey, however, was too anxious to listen to his pleading. "Get OUT!" she shouted.

Ben pulled the sheet from the bed with him as he stood, wrapping it around his waist.

Suddenly it felt like there was a great wind in the room, and Ben was taken by surprise. A force pushed him towards his door. It opened before he slammed into it. Then it slammed shut once he was through.

Ben turned and tried to open his door again. The mechanism for its lock wouldn't respond. "REY!" Ben shouted as he tried again. When it continued to fail, he let slip a few curse words, and kicked the door.

By this time a few heads began peeking out, but they quickly went back before Ben could notice them.

Ben was furious. He tightened the sheet around his waist, and stormed down the hall, towards the women's wing.

When Ben stopped in front of Rey's door, he was too frustrated to push the buzzer and wait for her to respond, so instead he loudly banged on the door and called out to her. "Rey! Rey! This is nonsensical! You can't kick me out of my own room."

Rey's response came out of the staff sized hole in her wall, which earlier had been temporarily repaired with a piece of mesh. "You were naked! I know you don't always sleep naked. Why suddenly tonight?"

"In space it's cold, This planet gets a lot warmer at night." Ben tried to reason with her. "Let me back in."

"No!" Rey's reply was resounding.

"[Curse] Rey, do you expect me to sleep in the hall the whole night!" There was no reply, which frustrated Ben more. He turned and was about to kick Rey's door. Then someone approached, and he turned to face him instead.

"Hey, you need some help?" asked Finn.

"This isn't what it looks like..." Ben was nervous, but Finn just listened, "The bond formed again, and she threw me out of my own room, like this. Now, I can't get back in," Ben hurried to explain.

"Yeah, sounds inconvenient," Finn said slowly. "Why don't you stay in my room. It's this way," Ben followed Finn as he led him back to the men's wing. "I don't use it as much lately. I'll put in a call to have your door repaired first thing in the morning. Right here."

Before Ben entered the room he turned, feeling suddenly more appreciative of the traitor. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Finn before turning away.

The next morning Ben walked into conference room four.

"You're late," his mother said.

"Yeah, there was an incident," said Ben as he sat down.

"I heard," said Leia.

Ben leaned over and covered his reddening face with his arms on the table. "Really?"

"I think all of the Resistance heard about it by now. You made quite a commotion last night," said Leia. Her face was serious when she spoke, but broke into a smile soon after. "I think she's getting more powerful."

"Yeah. Last night she pushed me out, and burnt out the electronics on the door. This morning they had to replace the entire thing, just to let me back in there," said Ben

"I don't think she meant to, though." said Leia.

"Oh, her intentions were clear last night," said Ben.

"I doubt it. These days, when she does anything with the force, she doesn't mean to do it. It's all adrenaline. She's been practicing, but it takes a good deal of time to learn, as I'm sure you know."

Lt. Connix interrupted their conversation by walking into the room. "Are we ready to begin?" she asked.

"Not yet, I haven't explained the plan to Ben yet, Kaydel" said Leia. As Connix sat down, Leia turned back to Ben. "We are going to take advantage of having the, still rightful, Supreme Leader here. You are going to make a recording. I'll give you the speech. You will be stating your identity and discounting Hux's power."

"But what good will that do? As you said yesterday, they spread that holo everywhere. Anyone who sees it will assume I am just an impostor," Ben asked.

"Introducing any bit of controversy into our enemy's control of its forces, and weakening the First Order from the inside-out. For now, you will not be disclosing your connection with the resistance. We'll make it seem like you escaped with a few loyalists and are rebuilding a fleet of your own."

Once Ben agreed to make the speech, Connix dragged him out to another room. He was given another outfit to put on. It was similar to the one he wore as Supreme Leader whenever Hux managed to parade him in front of important persons, but with a few differences. First, the shoulders had pads in them to make them stand out more prominently. Second, there was a sash added with a unique symbol stitched on it. This symbol was similar to the one the First Order used, only in the center of the black and white wheel there was a flying bird.

When Ben was dressed, he tried to leave the dressing room, only Connix pushed him back inside and sat him down in front of a mirror. Leia walked in after her, and the two began talking as Connix brushed his hair and applied make-up. When Ben tried to object to the makeup, Leia gave him "the look" and he sat back down again with a sigh.

When they finally had him in front of the camera, he started to read the speech they gave him. "Galaxy, I am your Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. You have heard of my death prematurely, through the lips of those who seek power over the interests of the First Order, and of the galaxy. I, indeed, am alive and well. Your loyalty is being tested right now. If it holds true, I will remember all who remain by my side."

When Ben finished, he looked around. Connix and Leia were behind the camera and their faces did not look pleased. "Try it again, only try a bit more force in the beginning," Connix suggested.

Ben did just that, only this time they had a different point. And again, but Leia wanted the end to sound more gentle. Eventually he huffed, "I hate giving speeches. I have people for that."

Leia responded by patting her son's shoulder and whispering, "You're getting there. I'm proud of you son."

When Ben finally finished a version of the speech that was satisfactory enough, they let him go. After changing back and washing his face, Ben headed to the Cafeteria for lunch.

As Ben walked through the line today, he noticed quite a few eyes on him. There was a server who whispered something to another. Then they both giggled, but when Ben walked up to the table, the server stopped and looked down at the food embarrassed. Ben moved on.

Others were far less discrete. "I don't know what they allow in the First Order, but streaking through the hallways in the middle of the night is not allowed in the Resistance," Poe chided.

"Yeah, no one wants to see your dark side," another added, much to the encouragement of those nearby.

"That's not helping!" Finn said. As he walked up to Ben, he spoke again, "I know all of your superiors, and they WILL get a report of this."

His threat seemed to quiet most of the room. Everyone seemed to look away and stifle their laughter.

Finn put an arm up to Ben's shoulder. "You alright?" he asked. Ben nodded. "Come, you can sit with me."

Ben did just that and started eating his meal on a table with just Finn. The awkwardness, however, returned when Rose and Rey arrived at the Cafeteria. Rose, of course wanted to sit with Finn. And Rey didn't have any other plans but to join her. As Ben and Rey ate, they glanced around and down at their food, trying to avoid each other's glances as much as possible.

When they were finished with the meals and were taking their trays back to the kitchen, Ben turned to Rey and both spoke at the same time. "I'm sorry."

This revelation left them both staring at each other in shock for a few seconds. Then Ben spoke again, "I shouldn't have yelled at you last night."

"And I shouldn't have thrown you out. Rose said the door was completely fried," Rey said.

"You were frightened. I've done worse. Ask my mom sometime," said Ben. Then he added, "I could show you somethings that can help, if you want."


	17. Chapter 17 - Lessons on Meditation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey wakes up to see someone's in her bed! She panics and kicks him out. The Resistance has Ben filming promo videos for his 'new empire.' Ben offers to teach Rey a lesson in controlling her emotions and using the Force.

Chapter 17

Rey stuttered. Ben was offering to teach her again. 'Or Kylo Ren is,' said the logical part of Rey's brain.

'Still, it's not like you're having much luck on your own,' argued an emotional part of Rey's brain. Leia tried to help, but she only had a few more lessons than Rey herself had.

'You can look at the books again,' Logical Rey reminded herself, 'Once C3-PO finishes his work.'

'You can't even read those books without C3-PO's help,' thought Emotional Rey. 'And the last time you did, you were more confused than when you started.'

Rey glanced up. Ben was still looking at her, waiting for a reply. Still the warring sides of her brain argued, til at last Rey just said, "Ok."

"That's good, I'll meet you later. Um, where's your meditation space?" asked Ben.

"My what?" Rey asked, now even more confused.

Ben looked back at her, mirroring her confusion. Then his face settled to a look of determination. "Then we'll find one together. I'll meet you here, for Dinner."

Once Rey nodded, Ben left the Cafeteria and went back to the conference room where he was expected to join his mother again. Instead he found a folded outfit, and a note, instructing him to go to the Hanger, once he was dressed.

* * *

When Ben walked into the Hanger, he was shocked. There was a much larger screen up, and several Resistance members were lined up, some wearing stormtrooper armor. 'Likely stolen from dead troopers,' Ben thought. Others were dressed casually. There was also a small stage built at one end.

"Good, good, you're here." Leia said. "You've just conquered your first world. The people are thrilled to be back under your leadership. You will say kind words to them, appreciating them for their loyalty, and they will hail you as their leader."

"People being thrilled to be conquered is not really the First Order style, nor is thanking them for needing to be conquered back," Ben pointed out.

"This isn't really the First order, either. If we want people to turn their loyalty to you, or at least question Hux's power, then these are the type of people you must win over." Leia held her arm out gesturing to the half of the crowd in casual dress.

"That's it, no babies you want me to kiss," Ben joked.

Neither of them laughed, though. Instead, Leia looked up at Connix, who made a quick note on her tablet for later. Ben rolled his eyes.

"We'll have to re-apply your makeup," Connix said. As she worked on Ben's face, his mother handed him another script to learn.

The next hour was spent filming Kylo Ren as he proudly walked up the isle in the center of the crowd. Next Ben was instructed to read the speech, while the crowd was filmed 'reacting' to it. He had to read it several times before everyone cooperated with his mother's vision.

By this time everyone was getting tired of standing around, including Ben. Unfortunately for them all, another Resistance member arrived, accompanied by a young girl and boy, and holding a baby.

"Good, Good. We'll place you here, here, and here," went Connix.

Ben looked to his mother with an inquiring expression.

His mother answered him, "You wanted a baby to kiss." Ben rolled his eyes again. "You will be concluding your speech, and on your way offstage duck into the crowd again. This time find the children and baby and kiss their cheeks."

Filming this was a complicated endeavor, because Leia insisted on getting close-up shots too, which meant they had to film it more than once. It was made even more complicated when it became apparent that the children weren't too fond of Kylo Ren. The boy kicked Ben once, when the camera wasn't on. And the girl cried, right on camera when he tried to kiss her.

While the other adults were running around trying to find toys or candy he could give the children, one caretaker tried to explain the difference between a costume and a real person. Ben sat on the floor, bored out of his mind. When he noticed the girl child glancing at him, he made a face. She snickered, and then the boy child looked over to see what made her laugh. Ben made a different funny face.

In the end, after receiving a pocket full of candy, the children let Ben kiss them without another issue. After this, the majority of the room was finally dismissed. Everyone except for Ben.

The last thing they had to film was him giving his speech. This time they had listened to him giving it a few times already, and were able to start with some pointers, but Ben still took a few tries to get it perfect.

"Good work today, Ben," said Leia when they were finished. "I was hoping you would join me for dinner tonight. We can discuss a few things."

"Uh, I have plans. I'm gonna teach Rey some meditation later." Ben felt relieved that he did have those plans. It made refusing his mother easier.

Leia nodded. "That's ok. We'll try tomorrow then." Her eyes had a sad, wet look. She was disappointed.

* * *

Ben ended up fleeing the hanger, and rushing to get back to the cafeteria in time to meet Rey. He was sure she would have already eaten, as it was getting late.

To his surprise, Rey sat alone at a table, with two trays of food. When he walked over to her, she looked up. Her mouth open in shock, and her eyebrows creased with worry.

"Oh, my mom had me put this on for a project of hers." Ben eyed his outfit that he forgot to change out of.

Rey nodded, realization flooding her face. "The holos. One of the others reckoned you'd be out soon, so I thought I'd save some time and got a tray for you." Rey pushed one of the trays towards him. Ben sat down next to Rey and began to eat.

"So, what do you have planned?" asked Rey.

"We'll need to find a meditation space first," answered Ben.

"What's a meditation space?" asked Rey.

"A space to meditate in. It should be quiet, and private, but most of all, comfortable for you. Have you done any meditating before?"

"Um, I think. With Luke. He had me sit on a cliff and 'reach out' to the force. But not really reach out. With my mind reach out." Ben nodded as she spoke.

"Everyone does it a bit different. My uncle liked to go outside to meditate. I prefer a dark room. Whatever works for you will be different. We can walk around and look for a spot to try out," Ben explained.

* * *

After their meal Ben and Rey went for a long walk around the base. Rey knew the base a lot better than him, and she led him to some areas that were quieter, like he said.

"This is, probably, the most out of the way we are going to find. No one comes down here anymore." Rey led Ben out of the lift and into a dark hall. She pushed something on a control panel and lights turned on around them. "This is the only part of the old Rebel Base that withstood the Empire's bombings. The Resistance base was built on it's foundations."

Ben followed her as she looked into rooms. Most were filled with old, outdated equipment. Ben would never choose a place like this. But to Rey, the stuffiness of the rooms, combined with the smell of salvageable materials made her feel more at home. Plus the building's very outdated generator was down here, and it made the rooms even warmer.

She ended up choosing a white room, half cluttered with junk, the other half clear. On one wall was a broken holo-screen. On the floors were a grey tile.

"Ok, Sit down," Ben instructed her as he demonstrated.

"Do you want the lights out," Rey asked.

"Um, not unless you want it dark. This space is for you," Ben answered.

"Are we going to reach out to the force?" Rey asked.

"No. I want you to look at the force inward. The force is everywhere, including in all of us. Close your eyes," he instructed, and Rey complied. "It's like a flame, and it uses your emotions as a fuel. If you were using the dark side, you'd be carefully feeding it emotions like anger, and pain to give you strength. If the flame gets too big, though, it can do damage. You remember Snoke? His body was damaged from years of experimenting with power. Now, If you're goal is the light side, you'll want to calm that flame down as much as possible. It's the way of the Jedi."

"I see the flame. It keeps getting fed, how do I keep these emotions out?" Rey was getting anxious.

Ben put his hand out and touched Rey's arm. Then he pulled it back, rethinking the action. "I'm going to build a circuit between our minds."

"No thank you. I had you in my head once," said Rey, looking up.

"No, that was a mind reading. This is just a circuit. I'll only be able to see what you share, and vice versa," Ben reassured.

They went back into their meditation. Rey could feel the circuit connect, but there wasn't the painful tendrils she remembered from the last time he went in to her head, thankfully.

"Ok, I'm going to share a memory," said Ben. Rey immediately felt it.

She was in Takodana again, only this time, she was Kylo Ren. And she saw herself, shooting at him. She felt herself deflecting the shots with his lightsaber. And she could sense a playfulness to it. He didn't want to hurt her. Then the memory cut off.

"Now, can you do the same?" Ben said after a minute.

"Um, I'll try." and Rey tried sorting through her memories for something to share. After another minute she had it, and she concentrated on the circuit to send it over.

Ben was wet and shivering from the cold. His head was swimming with doubt and questions over what he'd just seen. He walked into a hut on a mountainous island with a desire to see someone specific. Him, she wanted to see him! That was when he looked up into the hut and saw himself sitting there. Then she cut the memory off.

Ben smiled a little, but Rey's eyes were closed so she didn't notice. "Ok, now we're going to work on what to do with your emotions. Lets use last night's as an example. What were you feeling then? Share the memory with me?"

Ben waited for Rey's response. Instead he heard what sounded like a trumpet blaring worth of noise from the circuit. 'That's strange,' thought Ben. Then the circuit snapped, as Rey got up from the floor.

"I can't do this now." Rey sputtered. She looked to be very nervous. Before Ben could say anything she turned and ran out of the room.

"Rey," Ben called. Though he looked for her, he didn't see any trace of her for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Ben woke up the next morning, after an uneventful night's sleep. When he went to his closet, he did something strange. He knocked. Then he waited for a minute. Out from the Closet popped the ghost head of Luke Skywalker.

"You know, the whole surprise effect is underwhelming when you knock first." said Luke.

"Yeah, you want to surprise me, hide somewhere different for once," said Ben. "Besides, last time I interrupted you and uh... I did not need to see that!"

"Well you wouldn't have interrupted anything if you'd been on time. Anyways, her name is Mara Jade. You're Grandfather introduced us. Kept saying I need to 'get laid,' whatever that means. Anyways, I was thinking about making her your new Auntie. What do you think about that?"

"Yippee," said Ben sarcastically.

"I talked to your mom. She said you started training Rey. How did that go?"

"Bad," Ben said.

"Did you wack her with a stick?" Luke asked.

Ben looked confused. "No! Why would I… Look, I told her about the flame effect our emotions have on the force within us. Then I built a circuit between our minds, and asked her to transfer a memory over. She panicked and ran away."

"Uh-hmm, Uh-hmm. A fearful memory?" Luke asked. Ben nodded. "Fear is a powerful emotion. Having it makes one feel weak even after the incident. It can feel intrusive to be asked to share it."

"But I was there too. I remember the incident." Ben shouted.

"Then if you remember it, you don't need her memory. What frightened her?"

Ben sat down to think. In truth he didn't know exactly what frightened her so bad. He woke up and she was so scared already. Then she kicked him out so fast.

Luke watched his nephew. When he started to see the lights of realization go on, Luke left this relm, disappearing into thin air.


	18. Chapter 18 - Finn's Special Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben tries to train Rey, but fails. She won't open up and show the memory he asked her to, of when her powers broke Ben's door. The Resistance had Ben film another set of Holo's to seem like he is taking over worlds.

Chapter 18

Finn walked into the conference room to attend the scheduled meeting. He didn't always attend meetings with the Resistance Command, but this morning he received a special invite. As he walked in he appraised the room.

Poe was sitting with Leia and the other command members. He was chatting with them quietly, and looked too busy to interrupt.

Rey was chatting with a few other Resistance members who likely had received special invites as well. None of them, to Finn's knowledge, had any command positions.

In a corner, sitting all alone, Finn spotted Ben. Of his usual scowls, Finn recognized this scowl as his bored scowl. He reckoned it was safe to approach.

"Hey," Finn greeted, as he sat down next to Ben.

"Hey," Ben replied. Their conversation was short lived because one of the command stood and turned to start a presentation.

Another member got up and turned out the lights. The Holo-Projector on the middle of the table turned on. "We've learned, thanks to Ben Solo, that a First Order Star Dreadnought is being built here." A map of the systems was displayed on the table, highlighting one planet in particular. "It is said to be more powerful than the Supremacy. According to our reports, it is near completion."

"And we're gonna blow it up," one of the others guessed.

The command looked around at each other before Poe spoke up. "We're gonna steal it." Poe had an amused grin on his face.

Leia looked around and saw confusion and shock erupting around the room. Even her son appeared to be laughing. "We released our holo this morning, of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren claiming to still be in power." Even Ben looked up, shocked it seemed to hear his mom use his dark side name. "If we're going to continue to use this strategy to cut down the first order, from the inside out, we're going to need to get out there with a ship. A Star Dreadnought is the most impressive ship they have, and keeping it out of Hux's hands will be a victory as well."

As the meeting went on, a plan was formed. Or tweaked, as it seemed like the command had a general plan already. Several of those present were experts in this or that and helped to tweak the details of the plan. Finn looked for a place to add his own expertise, but he'd already shared much of what he knew about the First Order, and this particular shipyard wasn't one he was familiar with. The plan was to send in two teams. One was to hijack the ship, while the other was to destroy the main computer that held the ship's command codes at the terminal.

A subject was brought up next that was party to much arguing: How to make it look like Kylo's people stole the ship instead of the Resistance. In the end it was decided to have the teams descend wearing Stormtrooper gear over their parachute suits. This came as a difficult pill to swallow for some of them. Finn didn't take it personally though. He hated that armor, but he would wear it for a mission if they'd asked. No one mentioned what to do once inside, though. The storm trooper gear would have to be stripped off with the parachutes once they landed. But there were cameras outside that would see stormtroopers landing, and Finn guessed that would be enough.

Then another slide on the holo was pulled up. It was a list of names. Names of who would be sent on the mission, as part of the two teams. Finn scanned this list, looking for his own name. But he didn't find it. Poe was on the list, leading one of the two teams. Rey's was on there as well. As were several others in the room, but not Finn's.

"Uh, General." Ben's face was pale. Though he continued to scowl, Finn thought he recognized a bit of panic underneath. His voice shook as he spoke. "A-Are you sure you want to send your Jedi on a mission with such lousy odds?"

Leia just gazed intently at her son.

"It's ok, we'll protect her," went Poe. "Besides, we'll need her little Jedi mind trick so the guards report the ship was stolen by a bunch of stormtroopers, and you."

"Then send me. It'll make it more believable anyway."

"No Ben." This was all Leia said, in a tone that demonstrated it was all she would have to say.

Ben was breathing pretty fast at this point. Finn was sure Ben would protest again, but he glanced up towards where Rey was sitting, then back to his mom, and instead he breathed out, "Fine."

When the meeting was over Finn was still unsure why he was summoned. Ben rushed out of the room immediately.

Leia walked over to where Finn was sitting. "I want to talk to you," she said.

"Yes, General, Leia, Ma'am. I'm not sure why I was called out here today," Finn said.

"I put your name on the invite list. I have a little side project for you." said Leia, and Finn's eyes went up. "You know now about what we are planning. With Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's image and reputation in our hands now. Well, we are going to need more stormtrooper armor if we really want to fool Hux. And we can't go out white against white, our men won't know who to fire at. Besides the white stormtrooper is so associated with tyranny and bloodshed already, and we want a more appealing image. That's why I want you to redesign the armor."

"Redesign?" repeated Finn.

"No one knows that armor like you do. I'm sure there are a few improvements you'd like to make."

"There are a few," Finn smiled. His mind went back to the pains of standing in that stuff all day long.

"Good. You'll find an old 3D printer in the basement. Room O-Thirty Four." Leia looked down, then back up at Finn. "I also want to thank you. I see you're trying to befriend my boy. I know he has a lot of walls up, but he'll need friends like you if he's ever going to bring them down."

"Yeah, it would be easier if he had a few more interests, though." Finn paused and Leia looked inquiringly at him. "I mean the man has like two interests. Physical training, and Rey. Ya Know, I'd like to keep my ability to walk, and I don't look that cute in hair buns." Leia chuckled, and patted Finn's shoulder.

"Keep trying, you'll find a way," she said.

As Finn was leaving the conference room he noticed Rey and Ben were having a heated argument outside. Finn did not want to get involved in whatever it was about, so he went the other way.

Finn started on his tablet computer, making sketches of ideas. In the end, though, he wasn't satisfied with any of his plans. Something was missing, and he didn't know what to do about the color. Leia specifically asked him to change it from white, but nothing he thought of seemed right. Eventually Finn was ready for a break. Plus he was beginning to think about the conversation he had with Leia. Perhaps, maybe, the subject of armor was something Ben could get behind as well.

Finn set off and found Ben reading on his tablet in the lounge. 'Reading, there's another interest' Finn took note of in his thoughts.

"Ben, I thought maybe, you'd want to train with me." It was a risky proposition, but Finn thought it would help his argument more than it would hurt. He hoped at least.

Ben put his tablet away and looked up at Finn impressed. "Alright," he said.

When they got to the training room, Finn laid down the rules. "We go, fist to fist. No Force Powers. No weapons. And first to yield looses." Ben nodded as he took a place in the ring.

They both stalked around each other in the beginning. Then Ben pulled a punch, but Finn managed to avoid his fist, pulling his body left. Then Finn threw a punch and hit Ben's chest. Ben didn't seem affected as he backed up a step and repositioned for the fight.

They continued to trade punches, mostly rather tame. Finn concluded that Ben must be holding back. Which he appreciated very much. When they took a water break, Finn brought up the project.

"You know, the stormtrooper armor we're using for the missions. To fool Hux, and everyone," Finn began.

"Yeah, does that bother you?" Ben asked.

It shocked Finn, he wasn't expecting the question.

"Them using dead trooper's armor like a costume. It doesn't bother you," Ben rephrased.

"No. The armor is in my past now. It's not me anymore. What I was trying to bring up, is in making the armor. The General wants some changes made to the design. It sounds like she wants some extreme new vision, type of armor. She put me in-charge of the redesign. I was thinking, if you were interested, I could use your help."

"I'll think about it," Ben answered. Then they went back to their matches.

Suddenly mid fight, Ben spun around and threw his body weight into the fight. He threw Finn against the rope barrier of their ring, and would have pounced on him if Finn hadn't shouted "I Yield," as loud as he could. Finn was taken aback by the sudden change in Ben, then he looked up and saw Rey walking past them in the training room. She was holding her lightsaber, and heading for a dummy, but was within view of their match. "Showoff," Finn mumbled under his breath at Ben, before he hobbled off to the showers.

Truth was, when Rose first told him about her theories about Kylo, Ben and Rey, he thought she was nuts. He did feel a touch of jealousy and betrayal, but he remembered Rey wouldn't betray the Resistance for anything. There must be something more to it, he thought. And moments like these, he'd be blind not to see.

Later that evening, Finn finished a work assignment, a part of his daily duties, and went down to the basement to look for the printer Leia mentioned. He wasn't ready to print yet, but he wanted to appraise the machine, and see what he'd have to work with.

As he was walking down the hallway he heard laughter and hushed voices coming from one of the rooms. It was Rey and Ben.

"Alright I figure that memory was probably a little too strong to use for practice, how about another time you lost control. You pick," said Ben.

"Alright, I've got one. It's a little embarrassing though, so don't laugh," ordered Rey.

There was a pause, then Ben started laughing hard.

"Stop laughing," said an exasperated Rey. "It wasn't that funny, and you promised to help."

Ben chuckled another deep laugh. "Ok, I think the strategy of deep breathing, combined with some imaginings would help. Ok, go back in. Now take a deep breath. Deeper. You want to Fill this part of your chest. Yes, yes, ok. Now imagine your island. Feel the sand on the shore, and hear the wind and the waves.

"Oh my. The flame is getting smaller. Or was. I gotta do that some more."

"As you practice it will get easier."

Finn was glad to hear them getting along again. Though he had an assignment to do, and he didn't want to stand there all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone. This chapter is in Finn's perspective. I know my version of Finn's character is a little different than the one in most Fanfics. Truth, this is the type of character progression I would like to see in the movies, If I had my way. I did read enough spoilers to know how much to expect, though I won't spill anything here. Anyways, if you like my Finn characterization, I did have more ideas for the Finn perspective, but I'm gonna have to cut it into separate chapters. I don't know yet if they'll be consecutive though. So stay tuned.


	19. Chapter 19 - Finn Finds an Aid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey and Poe, and a few others have an upcoming mission to steal a Star Dreadnought from the First Order. Finn is assigned a project to redesign stormtrooper armor, and he asked Ben to help.

Chapter 19

The next morning Rose had a meeting to go to, so Finn walked alone to the cafeteria for breakfast. "Hey Poe." Finn excitedly walked up to his friend in line to get a hot drink.

"Finn, Buddy. Did I ever tell you…" Poe went into one of his stories. Conversations with Poe were always easy for Finn. They had a lot of similar interests, and a respect for each other that was tested in the field. That was how Poe was, very much. He would be friendly with anyone, but only those he served with, who earned that respect, would ever see the true Poe.

It was this factor that influenced the relationship between Poe and Rey, Finn theorized. He tried to introduce his two best friends to each other when they first met, and hoped they would become instant friends too. But he had to accept that it wouldn't happen like that. Rey told him once she found Poe to be narcissistic, and that she didn't see much of a depth to him. Though she did respect that Finn was friends with him. Poe did the same. He never really said what he thinks about Rey, but Finn suspected an incident that occurred the first week after Crait had a lot to do with it. Poe greeted her by putting his arm on her back. An overtly friendly, and slightly flirtatious greeting he was prone to with the ladies. Well, Rey nearly broke him, bones and all! He had to stay on bed-rest for a week. Finn was fearful there would've been repercussions for Rey, but General Leia was unusually forgiving of her. And Poe, who should have learned his lessons quicker, got a black eye from her a couple weeks later for the same greeting. Still, this upcoming mission will be Rey's first off-world mission since Ahch-To, and Finn had hopes that they'd develop a mutual respect for each other at least.

When Ben walked in, Finn waved over to invite him to join them at their table. Poe glared at Finn for a minute, and whispered, "What are you doing?"

"I was doubtful too, but Rey believes there is still good in him. And as her friend, I want to help. Besides, I was in his position when I left the First Order too."

Poe gave him an 'are you crazy' look, but said nothing. He just took a bite of his toast and nodded silently.

"Besides they have that bond, thing. And it's got to be easier being bonded to Ben Solo than Kylo Ren."

Poe nearly choked. "Wait, that bond thing, it's what caused them to switch places. From what I understand, it's over now."

"No. Well, yeah. The switch was a one time thing. But they have had other manifestations of the bond. It's with the Force, and it can make them see and hear each other at times. Like they're in the same room, only they're across the galaxy."

"Oh, Interesting." said Poe, with an oddly distracted expression.

Ben left the line at the cafeteria and began walking over to Finn and Poe's table, when suddenly he stopped and turned. "What are you doing?" Ben said to no one, as if someone was standing in front of him.

"No!" Whatever no one answered, it hadn't pleased Ben.

Poe leaned over and whispered to Finn, "Is this that Bond thing." Finn shrugged in reply.

"There'll be an army… I was shot… You cheated!" Ben paused, while he fumed silently.

"Where is Rey now?" asked Finn.

"Medical," Poe responded.

"No, No, No, No!" Ben was furious.

"She needs some vaccines before she goes on the mission. Did you know she had no medical records before coming to the Resistance? I mean zip, nada, not even baby boosters," said Poe.

"Well, then we're DONE! No more lessons!" Ben shouted.

"And she hates needles so much she has been avoiding them since she got here too. The General is glad this mission ultimatum is working. Our next step would have been to drag her there kicking and screaming."

Ben seemed to be done with his argument. He stomped over to Finn's table and slammed his tray down. He didn't look anyone in the eye as he sat down, and began to eat.

Poe looked at him, then back at Finn. "Well I better be getting down to Medical, before they put you know who down for a psych evaluation as well. See you later."

Finn decided to eat in silence. It was safer to let Ben calm down on his own. Eventually though, Ben pulled out a tablet and turned it on. Then he passed it to Finn.

"I was thinking about the armor, and I did a little research," Said Ben.

Finn noticed several pages of notes on different types of armor. "This ought to help. Thank you. Does this mean you'll help?"

"Yes, I'll help." Ben's face didn't display any emotions now.

When both men had finished their breakfasts they met back up in Finn's temporary lab. He had the machines brought up from the basement the night before, and he had his original design ideas on the computer there.

Having Ben help proved to be harder than Finn had realized. They didn't agree on much at first. While Finn preferred changes to make the whole thing more comfortable, Ben seemed aimed to improve it's strength against attack. But Finn still thought the project would be good for Ben. So he didn't kick him out, as he argued with him over the finest details.

In the end they decided to print out and test several pieces of the armor. While Finn would have been satisfied after putting it on and walking around, Ben had other ideas. Finn wore the armor while Ben brought him to the shooting range. There were a few men practicing when they arrived, so Ben sent Finn to the targets while he stood back to instruct them. The only reason Finn walked out to the targets was because they had practice blasters. Enough to give him a shock, but not to kill. Ben instructed them to aim at specific points in the armor, and they did as he asked.

Then Ben turned to the armory cabinet behind the men who were shooting and pulled out a real blaster. He replaced a man's practice blaster with the real one, and gestured him to try again.

Finn's eyes went wide when he saw the real blaster, but there wasn't time to protest, as the man with the blaster seemed too eager to obey.

In the end, their test proved several key points. First, Finn decided that the next test would be done on a droid. Second, it showed several weak parts to the armor that even Finn was willing to admit were worth changing. The armor did enough to protect his vital organs, but he was very sore and had a couple burns on his sides where the armor was weakest.

"One more thing," said Finn. The two almost had a finished design. "The color. Lets try this." Finn pulled up an image on the screen.

"Brown!" Ben didn't seem impressed.

"Your mom wants a different color." Finn explained.

"So choose something regal. A navy blue, or purple," Ben suggested.

"Do you know how hard it is to polish armor after you've been crawling around in dirt all day? Besides, I got it from your research. This design is called camouflage."

Ben nodded. "Our army will be smaller, being covert will help." This was the easiest win Finn was able to receive all day, so he took it.

And with that they printed out their final design. The armor had a larger view-port, and an improved air filter. There were several changes to the body that did improve flexibility, much to Finn's arguments, but still protected the user against whatever they could throw at it. This time it was a droid they tested it on, so Finn didn't mind showing Ben the larger armory with the bigger guns. And it's color was a mixture of different shades of brown, in a random pattern.

"Whew!" When they were finished testing their new model, Finn noticed as he cheered, that Ben still stood with the same emotionless face. "I'll send these to the General, then we've got to celebrate." Finn had an idea.

Finn led Ben down to the Hanger, where Poe was preparing a ship for flight. "Hey, Poe. You get my message?"

Poe nodded. "Yeah, you guys want to go up on some training runs. I can do that for you." said Poe, as he eyed Ben suspiciously. Then he turned to gaze at Finn again. "Anything for you, Finn."

Poe turned to open his ship, and motioned for the two to take their seats behind the pilot's seat. Then he turned to one of the techs and said "Give us a few starter rounds. Nothing too difficult." With that said, Poe turned to climb in the ship.

"Alright boys. My men will be releasing droids to fly out and give us a few obstacles to fly through. It's all for fun, though, so don't panic. And if you feel yourself getting sick, don't."

Poe took off, and on the view-port in front of them they could see a few floating objects form into a hoop, then a tunnel. Poe flew through the hoops and tunnels, and over and under other obstacles. Finn screamed with the thrill of it, but Ben just sat there watching.

Below, Poe's man was at the computer, pulling up tasks to send the pilot on. Leia walked into the room and looked at his screen. The man looked up to acknowledge her quickly, then back at his tasks. Leia leaned over him, and whispered, "You're keeping them too easy. These are supposed to test him. Move over."

"General, Poe has guests up. And he asked to keep them light," the man struggled to explain.

"Oh, I know who he's got with him. And believe me, Poe deserves a little heat under his butt." The man didn't refuse her any longer. He got up and she replaced him behind the computer, pulling out the hardest obstacles on the screen.

Up in Poe's shuttle, Poe was preparing to fly through another tunnel, when the droids merged to form another ship.

"Wow," Poe pulled up quickly to avoid being 'shot' by the ship. "Sorry guys, I told them to keep it on the easy side. I must owe someone down there, or someone's trying to get a little vengeance. We can call it quits..."

Poe didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. He was rendered speechless when his ship began to fly itself under another obstacle, and around to fire at the pursuing ship. As the droids reformed to another obstacle, and another, Poe and Finn both screamed.

"What are you doing, get your hands back on the wheel." screamed Finn.

"I'm not the one driving this thing." Poe screamed back.

Finn then realized what was happening and looked at Ben. He had a look of concentration on his face, but also a bit of fun. His fists tightened as if moving a nonexistent control in front of him. On his face was a slight smirk you'd be hard pressed to find, but once you saw it you couldn't miss it. He was flying the ship through some type of tunnel and around a sharp corner. Then he flipped the whole ship, and fired at another pursuing ship. "Whew," Ben let out a scream of exhilaration as the droids disengaged and returned to base.

Finn's plan on getting Ben to open up worked a little too well. Both he and Poe stumbled out of the ship when they landed. Ben ran ahead of them, full of energy. "I told him after, we'd grab a meal off-base," said Finn to Poe before stumbling after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has been leaving such kind reviews. They brighten my day!
> 
> I had fun writing this chapter. This is the 2nd Finn POV chapter. There may be more eventually, but this is all I have immediate plans for. I hope you enjoy this chapter, as I enjoyed writing it.


	20. Chapter 20 - Rey, the Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Finn completes his redesigns of the stormtrooper armor with Ben's help. Finn succeeds in getting Ben to loosen up a bit.

Chapter 20

Rey never really understood grief. She reckoned she probably grieved when her parents first left her on Jakku, but that was a long time ago. It's not that she wasn't familiar with death. No, she saw people die from the hot sun, from a lack of food, and even from attack by thieving desperate scavengers. But none of these people had a relationship with Rey that was enough to produce grief at their passing. The closest thing she could, perhaps, remember would be Han Solo. But she hadn't known him long, and he represented more an idea to her, of a father figure.

But Rose had her sister, and they were as close as two can get. Early on, Rose had many times when her grief overflowed and she went alone to cry in the back of the falcon. Rey noticed, when she did this, most of the others kept their distance too. Even Finn didn't know what to say to make things better, so he didn't say anything at all. But many of them did seem to understand her pain, as many of them had their own losses to grieve after Crait.

But the only way Rey could seek to empathize with Rose was with 'what ifs'. If she lost Finn, and Rose, and the whole Resistance, how would she feel. The answer was simple. She'd feel alone again. And alone was a feeling she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy, let alone a friend. So when Rose had to grieve. When she tried to go off alone, ashamed to breakdown in front of anyone, Rey didn't let her do it alone. It was hard to figure out what to do, but she just stayed close. Sometimes she'd stroke her back, as Rose sobbed out her feelings. Other times she'd listen to her tell stories of her sister. And their bond grew.

It grew so strong that Rey told her secrets she wouldn't tell anyone else. Well, it was hard not to tell her. Rose had a keen eye, and she was good at guessing what was up. Rey even suspected she may be force sensitive, but no. She did not have those gifts.

As time passed, Rose had fewer bad days. She still loved her sister, but she wanted to live for her, not just without her. But this morning, Rey knew would be one of the bad days. It was Paige Tico's birthday.

Still, Rey had a meeting scheduled that morning. Further planning for her upcoming mission. She went into the cafeteria to grab a meal to go that morning.

"Over here," said a man named Bill who was serving food. He handed her a small bag. "I've got some cake I stashed away for you and Rose. Tell her I still think I'll walk into the cafeteria and see her, sometimes."

"I will, thank you," said Rey. It surprised her sometimes how generous they can be. Yet no one here ever seemed surprised at all. 'It can't just be Jakku, where generosity is fleeting.' Rey thought often.

Leaving, she looked over the cafeteria, and she noticed Ben was not there. It surprised her she'd notice him at all. He'd been so up and down these last few days, she didn't know what mood he'd be in any time she'd see him.

The last time she saw him was yesterday, in the Medical wing. Why he'd be there, she didn't know, but when he showed up and asked her what she was doing, he had a meltdown. He did not want her going on this mission. Why he felt that way, she didn't understand. It's not like she hadn't been in dangerous situations before and she could take care of herself, which she tried to point out. But that boy was hearing none of it.

When he left, she realized he was never there at all. Some of the other nurses were nervous at her sudden outburst, talking to no one. By the time she managed to explain about the Force Bond, and how she wasn't going mad, Poe ran in spurting the same things. 'He still probably thinks he's done me a favor,' thought Rey.

Rey walked into the meeting. She set down her drink and pastry, taking a seat next to a few other cadets joining this mission. Leia eyed her with a nod when she entered, and Poe was deep into a conversation with another commander. But they didn't have the opportunity to begin the meeting before a rather unexpected guest showed up.

"Ben, now isn't the time." Leia said.

Ben ignored his mother's protests, and walked right into the room. He didn't look once at Rey. Poe crossed his arms, his face featured a very disapproving frown. "I have a proposal to make," Ben began.

Leia gave a brief glance towards Rey, almost without thought, but the girl looked as clueless as anyone else. "Ben, now isn't the time. We have a mission to prepare for."

"It's the mission this is concerning. I propose a change in plans." Ben went to the holo-projector on the table, and pulled up images of a map of the shipyard they'd be raiding. "Your current plans are to fly over here, and drop team one here, via parachutes."

"Yes, that's the plan," Poe breathed out.

"You've seen the new armor designs." Ben gestured to Leia. "I propose you take advantage of it's covert properties and drop the team here instead. If all goes well, by the time they're within firing range, they can get off a few shots of their own."

"Poe, what do you think of this?" Leia asked.

"It's just... No... That can work." Poe's body language changed from arms crossed suspicious to leaning in, interested at the map. He nodded. "Yes, that can work."

"Sit down," Leia said turning back to Ben.

The rest of the meeting went as expected. Ben had no more points to add. Though he continued to avoid eye contact with Rey. Even when she was asked to speak, he turned his head away. This was very frustrating for Rey. She knew she'd have to meditate extra long that night to get rid of her anger in time to be useful on the mission.

The next day Rey was in a shuttle, preparing to jump with the team. She wore a simple black jumpsuit with a parachute strapped to her back. They also had boxes with armor prepared to drop out of the ship too. The original plan was to fall with costume pieces of armor on, closer to the building. But out here there were no cameras, and the armor they had was more than costume pieces.

"Ok, folks. Ready, on Three we jump." Poe was preparing to lead her team. The other team would go on and hijack the Star Dreadnought. "One… Two… Three."

When Rey jumped, she felt exhilaration falling through the air. When she was clear she pulled the parachute and landed, running on the dusty ground.

"Good landing there, Jedi," said Poe, as he handed out the armor.

"That was fun!" replied Rey.

Rey was armed with her lightsaber and a blaster, as she walked with the others to the command center. Rey noticed that the building was more prepared for a large assault than a small group of cleverly disguised rebels. Poe shot one lookout, while the team destroyed a ground canon, all without setting off an alarm.

"Ok, That's the entrance we want to use. Once we get in, we can't rely on camouflage anymore. Shoot to kill only if you have to. We want witnesses." Everyone nodded to Poe.

Rey was the third one to enter the building. Poe, who was first, motioned her to join him. As he shot at the leg of a nearby trooper, he said to Rey. "I need you to do your trick here."

"These alarms are a technical malfunction. You will reset the system and order all troopers back to their stations."

The tech repeated her instructions then proceeded to follow her instructions. The blaring alarm was silenced, then he radioed command to tell them about the technical malfunction. Poe watched this with an open mouth. He'd never seen something so cool.

"You will report to your superiors that the building was raided by stormtroopers loyal to Supreme Leader Kylo Ren." said Rey. Both the tech and the trooper repeated her.

"Good, you lock these two in a supply closet somewhere. We've got a computer to blow up. According to this." Poe referenced the screen near where the tech was working. "It should be down that way."

Before they were done, they added four more witnesses to their stash in the supply closet. All of which Rey told to report seeing Kylo Ren. Bombs were placed around the main computer terminal. When they were outside, and Poe pushed the trigger button, they heard the loud bang as it went off.

"That'll get their attention now. We have to get out of here," said Poe.

They walked to the exit-point, pursued by a few stormtroopers who had trouble finding a target to shoot at. When they were on-board the shuttle, Poe asked for an update from the pilot.

"We destroyed the maintenance droids and took ten prisoners. All of them low level maintenance. Jill put on a big show, telling them they now work for Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Didn't know if you'd want to mind trick them or take them with us. Oddly enough, they looked happy when she told them that. I think they'd appreciate their freedom. Anyways, when you blew up the terminal, Rick was able to hack in with our own codes. We now have full control. They are still working on getting our tempo hyperdrive installed, but it should be done soon."

"Good work, are the shields up and running?" asked Poe.

"Yes, when they finally realize what we're doing, they won't be able to do anything but wave as we fly away," replied the pilot.

"Lets get back there, so we can wave goodbye to these people." Poe smiled as the ship took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. Thank you to all who've been Bookmarking this story and leaving Comments. I love hearing about how much you are enjoying this. And Thank you for the Kudos, too. With this mission finished the next chapter will be getting back to the Force-Bond stuff, and some Force Ghost stuff. Also, if anyone is displeased that they are not all fluffy and romantic yet, I'm sorry. I write it real, and really these two have issues to acknowledge first, before the fluff.


	21. Chapter 21 - The Great Debacle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben and Rey continue to argue about the mission. Rey goes on the mission and the Star Dreadnought is stolen.

Chapter 21

Ben didn't think he wanted to go to the hanger to meet the incoming teams, returning from their mission. But yet, there he was, standing on the hanger floor as the shuttles landed. No one made him come, in fact a lot of them looked as if they'd be gladder if he hadn't come. In truth, something in the back of his head wondered how it went. Was Rey alright? Sure he hadn't felt her death, but that didn't mean she wasn't injured.

'Why am I so concerned about her. It's not like she ever appreciates my concern.' Ben thought, as he paced. 'She shouldn't even be on this mission. If I had anything to say about it.' He noticed his mom giving him a sympathetic look, so he stopped pacing abruptly. 'If she's injured, I'll...!'

Just then a shuttle flew into the hanger. Ben looked up with the crowd as the ramp lowered and he saw her descend. Her gaze was frantically searching the crowd for something and coming up short. After confirming with his eyes that she was safe, Ben turned around and slipped out of the hanger.

There was a briefing right after the mission for Rey and the teams. Leia was pleased to hear that the Star Dreadnought was taken and parked in orbit around a nearby moon, waiting for a permanent hyper-drive instillation and a few other things to be finished off. The "prisoners" taken aboard the dreadnought were quickly becoming enthusiastic new Resistance recruits. And what's more, they did all this without any casualties.

'I don't know what I was expecting,' thought Rey as she left the briefing. 'I guess I hoped he'd be over this childish rant, and we could go back to, whatever we were, now that the mission is over. I guess I was wrong. Well, he can have it that way.'

Rey turned a couple of halls and then she saw him. She inhaled, a fury building deep within her.

"What do you want?" Ben said, a touch of agitation in his voice.

Rey turned around and stomped back around the turn she came from. She almost didn't believe her eyes, but there he was again. Rey huffed and Ben turned around when he heard her. A confused expression began to form on his face. Before he could put his thoughts to words, Rey turned around again and went down a different turn in the hallway, only she was met with the same sight.

"Get out of my way!" stormed Rey. As she passed him, he appeared again a few doors down from where she stood.

Ben huffed an annoyed huff. "It seems like we can't avoid this confrontation. So why don't we just out with it."

"I don't have anything to say to you," snapped Rey.

"Your anger betrays you," Ben growled.

"You, childish, son of a nerfherder!" shouted Rey. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Well, I don't want any of this either!" Just then as they both released their angry words at each other a crash could be heard nearby from both of their ends. He then disappeared, and Rey was able to continue as if he were never there.

Leia was in her office when Lt. Connix walked in with a worried expression on her face.

"Kaydel, what's wrong?" Leia asked.

"It's Ben and Rey, General. Reports have it they were both screaming at the walls again."

"Nothing's wrong. The force is projecting them to each other's space. They're having a lover's quarrel," reasoned Leia.

"Uh, lover's?" Connix questioned.

Leia put on an innocent smile, as she sipped a hot beverage. "A mother can hope, can't she. Whatever it is, I will not be getting involved. Those two will have to work it out for themselves." Leia paused, but Connix didn't move. "Is that it?"

"No, it's not. Right as they were arguing bizarre malfunctions happened all over. A stack of crates in maintenance suddenly toppled over injuring a man, one of the x-wing's guns fired on it's own right in the hanger, and according to the chef, his surprise casserole just blew up in the oven. People are saying it must be the Force."

"Not the surprise casserole!" joked Leia. Then in a more somber tone, "Fine, send them in."

"Yes, General." Connix quickly left the office.

Less then fifteen minutes later, Rey stuck her head into the office. "General, Connix said you wanted to see me."

"Yes I do, please come in and take a seat." Leia instructed. She noticed Rey's face had a doe eyed innocence, and a nervous demeanor. This was replaced with an eye roll and an angry glare when Ben walked in a few moments later.

Ben barely glanced at Rey before he walked in and took a seat.

Leia sighed. "Thanks to your little outburst earlier there have been fifteen malfunctions." Yes fifteen, the reports kept coming in, even after Connix gave her report. "including one injury, and a loss of more than a day's worth of food supplies. Not to mention hours of repairs that need to be done around the base."

Immediately both of them began to point at the other, and shout about who was really to blame. Leia raised her hand to silence them.

"I don't care who did it. You were both a part, and you will both face the consequences. Dish duty for three days. Plus I want you to read this." Leia handed them each a tablet with a program labeled 'Conflict Resolution Strategies' loaded. "Rey, C3PO can help you read it, but I want both of you to study it."

Ben took the tablet without a word and left the room. Rey took a moment to say her apologies before leaving.

Later on, Rey was about finished picking at her dinner. She was kinda feeling guilty over the lost food supplies, and wasn't too hungry as a result. A table over from her sat Ben. He appeared to be reading from the tablet his mother gave them, completely ignoring her.

A worker came out from the kitchen and threw an apron at the both of them. "You two are mine for the evening. Come, there's washing up to do in the back."

Three hours later, one thing was clear to Rey and Ben alike. They never wanted to get dish duty again. They both avoided talking to each other and left as soon as they could.

The next morning, Ben was getting ready in his room when Rey appeared in front of him. He was fully clothed by that time, and so was she. Ben was just brushing his hair in front of a mirror.

"I'm not even here," said Rey, and she continued to walk around the room fiddling with stuff he couldn't see.

"Boo!" The Force Ghost head of Luke Skywalker popped out of the mirror, startling both parties at once. "Oh, hi Rey. Just wanted to have a chat with my nephew, if you aren't too busy."

"Luke, can't you see. Busy is what they are both about to be getting." went another ghost who popped out of the same mirror. He winked at the two and tried to pull Luke back through the mirror.

"We're not..." Both Rey and Ben tried to correct him at once.

But Luke would not be pushed around. "Anakin, will you get your head out of the clouds."

"That's father to you, kid," said the much younger ghost.

"Oh, you were never a father!" shouted Luke.

"You're bringing this up now!" the younger one shouted back.

"Father, your Grandfather!" Ben was connecting the dots. Both stopped arguing to look at him.

"You're Darth Vader!" shouted Rey, also connecting the dots.

The younger ghost stepped forward and nodded. "The Vader identity is not one of my proudest. I go by Anakin now. And yes, son. I am your grandfather." Ben looked on in stunned silence.

"Anakin, do you see what you've done to the boy? Now he's confused!" said Luke. It seemed the ghosts had resumed their bickering.

"Oh, he's not confused. You're confused. And I am your father!" said Anakin.

"You didn't raise me!" said Luke.

Rey and Ben watched the two of them argue with stunned silence.

"Is that what we look like?" whispered Rey.

"Are they always like that?" whispered Ben.

"Maybe there's something we could do about it?" Rey reached over and the tablet with the conflict resolution material appeared in her hand.

"Yes, Yes, and please do something." whispered a third ghost who appeared out of nowhere, an older man than Luke. "Anything." He then backed up and disappeared before the other two ghosts could see him.

"Your mom wanted us to learn it, she didn't specify how?" Rey reasoned again.

Ben cleared his throat. He stepped between the two. Rey tried to grasp Luke's arm, but came back with nothing. It didn't matter, they had their attention now.

"Come with us. We are going to have a very long talk. All four of us," said Ben.

"We'll meet in the lounge," said Rey. She left her room, and Ben left his room with two ghosts in tow.

The lounge was a small room with large upholstered seats and a holo view-screen. Ben and Rey both took seats, while the ghosts hovered above them.

"How should we start?" Rey turned on her tablet.

"Luke, I heard you say you feel Dar..., Grandfather, doesn't deserve to be called Father."

"What are you doing?" Rey whispered.

"Active listening, chapter three." Ben whispered back.

Luke spoke next. "Of course he doesn't deserve the title. I didn't meet him till I was nineteen. When I watched him kill Ben."

"He killed Ben!?" Rey looked confused.

"Old Ben Kenobi. Obi Wan. Your namesake." Luke specified. "It was on the death star, after we rescued you mother from his grasp."

"I didn't know either of you were my children then. And Obi Wan and I had a long standing feud. It had nothing to do with you," said Anakin.

"Right," Rey winked at Ben. "So Luke, I hear that old Ben was important to you. And you weren't exactly on good terms with your father when you met."

"It sounds like you were on opposing sides," Ben put in.

"Not on good terms, you could say that! He cut my hand off!" shouted Luke.

"I was trying to get you to join me. I put in all that effort, with bounty hunters and making sure the carbon-freezing wouldn't kill you. Only to have you stubbornly fight me off every chance. I was trying to be a father then."

"Maybe we should try this Role Rev… R-e-v-e-r..." Rey sounded out the word.

"Reversal, Role Reversal." Ben corrected. "Lets try it. Grandfather, I want you to describe your interactions with Uncle Luke, from his perspective."

"Luke boarded the Death Star, with two droids, a smuggler, and an old Jedi to rescue the princess of Alderaan. Before they managed to fight their way out, he saw me kill the old Jedi with my lightsaber."

"And how do you think he felt?" Rey led him.

"He felt, he felt like he was loosing a mentor," said Anakin. "And when I severed his hand, he felt an intense pain and a loss of a part of himself." Anakin pulled up his arm to reveal what looked like an artificial limb. "He felt ashamed to be my son, and he didn't know why I was hunting him. I am sorry, Son."

"I can accept your apologies. But I cannot accept you constantly interfering with my family."

"This now," sighed Anakin. "They are my family too. And his own father takes my side."

"That, how can you suddenly become such good friends with the ghost of a man you called 'that lowlife,' and other not so polite terms. A man you begged me to keep away from Leia, up until Ben was born. I don't understand."

"Because he came back," said Anakin. "When he left her that time he had no idea she was pregnant. Then, when he got your message about the baby, he dropped a whole freighter's worth of smuggled goods, worth thousands of credits, to return to her."

"My father dropped cargo. I never heard of this." Ben was surprised to hear this.

"He never told anyone. It was only hours before you were born," said Anakin.

"It took months of searching and going through contacts and contacts just to contact him," said Luke. "I figured he was ignoring the messages."

"Well, I kinda, may be blocked the messages from getting through," Anakin confessed.

"You what!" shouted Luke.

"I knew by then you weren't going to do anything. I was trying to protect my daughter. Anyhow, one message slipped through, and that was all it took," Anakin explained. "It proved to me he really did care."

Ben contemplated that story for the rest of the day. When he went to dinner that night, he noticed Rey sitting alone. She had the tablet open and was mouthing the words as she read. Without thought, Ben joined her at the table.

Rey didn't say anything to Ben, and Ben just sat and watched Rey. After several minutes he noticed she was not turning the page. In fact her eyes were still focused on the same paragraph.

"Open ended questions." Ben leaned over and read out loud where her finger had been pointed.

Rey glared up at him in response.

"Why won't you let me help you?" Ben was getting irritated again.

"Why do you care to?" Rey yelled back.

"Because I care!" Ben shouted. Then Ben's voice became more timid. "I care…I care." His voice was one of realization.

"But why?" Rey asked, tears in her pleading eyes.

Ben looked away. "I don't know."

Rey couldn't take it any more. She got up and ran out of the room, as if she were fleeing Kylo Ren. Ben paused as he tried to think. When his brain failed to give him another thought he got up and followed Rey.

He caught up with her in an empty hallway. "Rey. I don't know why I feel the way I do. Under Luke, I was encouraged to strip away my attachments till only compassion remained. And under Snoke's tutelage, compassion itself was eradicated. But I assure you that I do care. I care that you're clearly smart enough to build an engine and master lightsaber techniques with little practice, but somehow you can't read. I care that you might get killed on a mission without anyone here giving… I care about you Rey."

"I… I am not used to people caring." Rey pushed back her tears. "Ask anyone here. After the Supremacy, when I was injured, you should have seen your mom's eyes when she caught me trying to stitch myself up. It just didn't occur to me that I could ask for care. I am used to taking care of myself. Sometimes, it takes a lot to remember I'm not alone anymore."

"You're not alone," Ben finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, I realize "I care about you" is not the most romantic of lines. I figure that for a guy who had compassion thrown at him like a bad word, accepting that he does have compassion, that he cares about someone else's interests, is a big step. And for a girl who was abandoned by her parents, who was then surrounded by people with no compassion (my interpretation based on the TFA book's descriptions of Jakku), accepting that someone does care about you is an equally big step.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this inclusion of the force ghosts. I know a lot of their part is more emotional in this chapter, and less humorous. But this chapter is one of the earlier ideas that I had, and I'm glad I could get to it here. Oh, and the older ghost who begs them to help is supposed to be Obi Wan. I couldn't use his name because the characters don't know him yet, not in that face, but I hope it can be guessed by what I have in there.


	22. Chapter 22 - Holiday?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben and Rey have an argument that causes a disturbance for the Resistance. Leia was forced to intervene. Ben and Rey attempted to help Force Ghost Luke and Anakin talk through their issues. Ben was finally able to admit, to himself and her, that he cares about Rey, and Rey is able to acknowledge that he cares too.

Chapter 22

"Almost," sighed Leia to herself as Ben walked away.

She heard a Wookie growl from down the hall.

"Oooh, I'm doing fine, Chewie," said Leia, though the tears in her eyes betrayed her true emotions.

Chewie came up to her and growled again, a kinder more sympathetic growl.

"All I want is for him to sit down and talk to me. At first I was understanding. It must be difficult for him being here, and he didn't exactly want to come home. But, lately, he seems to have an excuse each time." Leia cried as she confided in her old friend. "Am I being too impatient?"

Chewie took a moment to stroke Leia's back. Then he growled again, a determined sort of growl.

"What do you mean, 'It's probably genetic.'" Leia gave him a mock offended stare.

"Oh yes, Solo men." Leia rolled her eyes. "Han never wanted to talk about anything emotional. But forcing him into a conversation never went well either."

Chewie growled again. As he spoke Leia's eyes opened up big, then closed into a suspicious glare, as she shook her head.

"Chewie, just what is your idea?" Leia listened to the Wookie speak as they walked into her office and shut the door.

"Rose, do you have another…" Rey stopped suddenly when she saw who else was in the maintenance bay.

"General, What can we do for you today?" asked Rose.

"Leia, please." she corrected. "I'm not here on business. Rey, will you come talk with me?" Leia smiled when Rey put away her wrench and walked over to her. "Down this way a bit," said Leia as she led Rey to a quiet corner. "I was wondering if you have plans for the Holiday?"

"Hol-i-day," Rey said, as if the word were foreign to her.

"Next week, Rey I was planning to go to Naboo. A lot of others here are taking time off, and I was hoping you would come with me to visit one of my late mother's family estates."

"Yes, I would be glad to accompany you." answered Rey.

Leia's smile got even bigger. "That's great. We'll have so much fun." Leia reached out and squeezed Rey's hands before she turned to leave.

"What was that about?" Rose asked, after Leia had gone.

"She needs me for another mission. I hope Ben doesn't react to this one like he did the last one. I'm only going to be accompanying her on her travels next week. There can't be too many dangers accompanying the General," answered Rey.

"Next week. Holiday Week." Rose had a shocked expression.

"Yes, the general mentioned that word. What is a Hol-i-day?" Asked Rey.

Rose shook her head. "Come, we better head for lunch now. I have a feeling this is going to take a while, and I may need backup."

Rey and Rose brought their trays to a table where Finn, Poe, and Ben were already seated.

"Guys, help me out. I was just explaining the concept of a Holiday to Rey," Rose interjected.

"So a holiday is a day where you either do something unique, or do nothing at all." Rey's brow crinkled as she summarized what Rose had told her. "Why, and what makes it special?"

"Well, Holidays make us feel better," said Finn, but Rey still looked confused.

"The exact reason why depends on the holiday," Rose went on. "Holiday Week is a week where a lot of peoples tend to have a holiday, so we call it Holiday Week and take off so everyone can celebrate with those they love."

"What holidays do you celebrate on Jakku?" Poe asked.

Rey turned to look at Poe. Her face concentrated, and after a while she shrugged. "As a scavenger, you pretty much do the same thing day after day. And if you do nothing at all, you're going to be hungry. I wouldn't call it special."

"You really didn't have any holidays on Jakku?" Poe's eyes were wide.

"Even stormtroopers have holidays," Finn added. Then after Rey's blank stare, he added, "Rose and I saved some credits to go on a cruise across the Bormea sector next week. I can call our agent and buy another ticket, if you want to come."

"No, that won't be necessary," Rey quickly refuted.

"But you need somewhere to spend Holiday Week," Finn countered.

"No she doesn't," Rose put in with a sly smile.

"The General asked me to accompany her next week," Rey explained. The eyes of everyone around the table, including Ben went wide.

"The General… You're going to spend Holiday Week with the General." Poe sounded flabbergasted.

"Yes," said Rey very slowly.

"You realize I've worked for the General for YEARS, and I've never been invited on her Holiday Week. I'm jealous. Where you going?" Poe asked.

Rey tried to think of how to describe her plans. She didn't want to make her friends jealous, but she couldn't remember where Leia had said they'd be going.

"Naboo," Ben answered for her. "We're going to a lavish estate that belongs to the Naberrie family." Ben did not feel bad about making Poe jealous. In fact, he relished it.

"Are you coming too?" Rey asked.

"I am now." Ben answered.

Leia stood in the shuttle she chose to bring on her Holiday. It wasn't the Falcon, Chewie would be taking it on his own trip. She was going over a list and making sure everything she packed was safely stored onboard. When she looked over and saw a black mop of hair coming up the ramp, she smiled. Then she quickly hid her smile before it was apparent to it's cause. "You've changed your mind. Are you coming along after all?"

Ben just sighed as he carried his packed bag on-board.

"Nice having you. Put that in the back."

Ben went to do as directed, but turned last minute. "Just so you know. I'm not ignorant of your plot. I know why you invited Rey, and I'm only coming along so I can make sure you don't ruin her first ever Holiday Week."

"Mm-hmm." Leia failed a little bit at hiding her smirk.

"Did you know that when you invited her? Rose had to explain the whole idea to her after."

"No, Rey doesn't talk a lot about her past. One of the reasons why I invited her to come was so I could learn more about her."

"Where we're going on Naboo is cold this time of year. Rey doesn't have clothes for that type of weather."

Leia winked and motioned with her list. "I already thought of that. This isn't my first Holiday Week."

Just then Rey walked up the ramp. She carried a small bag, and had a big smile on her face.

"You can give that to him." Leia said, motioning to Rey's bag. "I've got a few more details to handle. You two can work out who is piloting."

Leia walked to the command where she saw Kaydel and Poe standing around a screen. As soon as she walked up, Poe discretely pushed a button changing the screen to a different image.

"General, I thought you'd be off by now," Kaydel said.

Leia put on a serious face. "You don't fool me. I know there's a reason you both volunteered for active duty this week. Remember my orders, Dameron. No attacking the First Order."

Poe started to protest. "But General, why not attack them when they least expect it."

Leia interrupted him by raising a finger. "I will not be debating this with you again. The First Order are men and women who deserve to have a holiday as well as anyone, and I will not break tradition." Leia turned to Kaydel. "Whatever you two get up to this week, make sure I don't hear about it." Leia left the room, despite Poe's pout.

Leia returned to the ship, to see Rey in the pilot seat, and Ben in copilot. "Good, everything is ready. We can take off now."

As Rey started the ship, Leia noticed Ben's eyes were enthralled with watching her motions. Their ship rose and left the atmosphere without any trouble. Then Rey turned around and asked, "Where are we headed, again."

"Naboo. The coordinates are already set in the nav-computer," Leia answered. Rey entered Hyperspace and turned on autopilot. "Luke and I, we learned about our biological father before the fall of the empire, but our birth mother was harder to learn about. Surprisingly, two babies born in secret and whisked away into hiding by the Jedi didn't leave a record. Luke was able to eventually get more facts from Anakin's Force Ghost. My mother was Padmé Naberrie Amidala. I have a first cousin who is letting us stay at the family estate for a week. It's one of the homes where my mother used to live, and I hope to learn more about her there."

Rey sighed as she thought about what it must be like to have a trace of her parents. She understood now why this trip was so important to Leia to make it a Holiday.

Ben thought about how hypocritical it was for a woman who hid her lineage from everyone, even her own family, to be so concerned now about tracking down this information. He got the story from Luke when it was first revealed, not by his parents, but by his fellow padawan's gossip. He practically had to force his uncle to confirm the story. It sounded devastating, but turned to hope when he was feeling crushed under the weight of Snoke's training. His grandfather, was Darth Vader! Though no part of that rumor included his grandmother, and Ben hadn't been curious enough to ask, so most of this story was new to him, too. But Ben heard Rey sigh, and he saw her sad eyes. He remembered that she spent her life longing for parents who abandoned her. He didn't want to upset her any further, so he pushed his grumbles under the rug and stayed quiet.

Leia continued, "Oh, but we'll have a lot of fun too. We'll eat the traditional Roast Ponturkin and Chestpie. And we'll watch Holiday themed holo-movies. If we're lucky it'll snow. And at the end of the week they'll have a parade with lots of lights. It'll be another two hours till we get there. Lets play a travel game. Ben used to love these..."

Ben groaned and rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone. This chapter is rather short, but I'm proud of it. I did some research on Star Wars Holidays, and I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, so I came up with the idea of a Holiday Week. I figure, with so many cultures in the universe, it would be hard to find a day where most are taking off and celebrating something, so I came up with the Holiday Week. I've also wanted to give Ben an embarrassed "Oh Mom" moment for a while now. There may be a few more before this vacation is over, poor boy.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who is leaving comments, I love to read those. Hit subscribe to be notified by email when I post next.


	23. Chapter 23 - Naboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Leia gets devious in her plans to get Ben to agree to come on a Holiday Week vacation. She invites Rey too. Rey is new to the whole Vacation thing. They are going to Naboo, to a niece of Padme Amidala's house.

Chapter 23

Rey didn’t know what she was expecting, but this wasn’t it. They landed in a private hanger where intricately carved columns held up a ceiling full of windows. A trickle of water could be heard from a fountain which stood against one wall, and a floral scent wafted off of every bush in every corner of the octagonal room.

They were greeted immediately by a crowd of servants and the house butler, Conner Le Brian. Leia didn’t pay any heed to the servants as they boarded the ship and began unloading the cargo. Instead she went straight up to the butler and gave him detailed instructions. Ben didn’t do more than glance at them as they walked past, but Rey was enthralled.

They had carts they loaded crates and luggage bags onto, and wheeled them off of the ship and past another doorway. Each servant had an expression of complacency. They moved with grace through the hanger, each knowing their tasks and roles. Then something caught Rey’s eye and filled her with panic. She saw her own bag on one of the carts, and she reached out to stop them with a protesting cry, only Ben’s hand gripped her shoulder. She stopped and quickly turned to him instead.

“They’re bringing it to your room. It’s their job.” Ben’s voice was calm. His hand left her shoulder and fell beside him.

“Madam, the lady of the house wishes to extend all formal greetings to you and your guests. She asks that you would comm her once you are settled. May I lead you into the house.” The butler gave a polite bow.

“Yes, you may.” Leia gave him a short nod, then followed the butler through a different door then the one the servants brought their luggage through. Ben and Rey followed Leia into the house.

Each room in the house was grander than the last, and Rey walked through it with her mouth open in a permanent awe. Colorful curtains adorned each window, and hand woven rugs centered each space.

When Conner, the butler, brought them to one of three large lounges, this one he called the Parlor, Leia instructed him to comm Pooja Naberrie. He disappeared and a few minutes later, a holographic woman, dressed in a fine silk dress, appeared in the center of the room.

“Leia, you’ve arrived. It’s so nice to see you again. I hope you found your trip well.” Pooja walked up to Leia and attempted to kiss her cheeks.  
Leia curtsied. “It’s so nice to see you, too. And we had a peaceful voyage here.”

“I had all of my aunt’s belongings that could be found brought out of storage. Conner can show them to you when your ready. I instructed them to treat you, and your guests, as family, because well, you are family. Anything you need, you have only to ask Conner for. I will be in Theed for at least a few more days, but I will join you when I can finally get away.”

“How wonderful, we look forward to your arrival.” Leia gave another curtsy, and the holograph disappeared.

While they were talking Rey found herself admiring a row of porcelain figurines lined up on a mantle. The fireplace it was attached to stretched up at least two stories, and was covered in light gray stones. Rey felt an unnatural pull to touch one of the figurines, and as she did so, her hand accidentally brushed one of the other figurines. It knocked into the one beside it, which collided into the next, and before she knew it the last figurine was teetering off the edge. Rey froze, but it was too late, as gravity finally pulled it the rest of the way. As it fell she held her breath, but then instead of crashing, it stopped falling mere inches from the ground. Rey looked over, and Ben was motioning with his hand, as the figurine floated up and back into place on the mantle. “Thank you,” Rey mouthed the words to him, as she took a deep breath.

Next they were led to their rooms, which was another surprise for Rey. Rey and Ben’s rooms were across the hall from each other, while Leia’s was in a separate wing altogether. Rey’s room had the biggest bed she had ever seen. The fabrics in the room, both on the bed covers and the curtains, were white with red and yellow flowers. The furniture was all wooden, with fancy carved edges. There was also a vanity with a large mirror, and a chair in front of it.

On the vanity was her own hair care kit. The one Ben bought her on Calabria. She recognized it immediately. Also on this table was her lightsaber. Both she knew had been in her bag from the ship. It was a little disconcerting to realize someone had been through her belongings, but she was relieved they were in her room, as Ben said they’d be.

  
Through a pair of glass doors was a balcony, looking down on gardens below. Through another door was a gigantic closet, which already had her clothes, plus more outfits she did not recognize hung up. And through a third door was a private bathroom, all her own. This made Rey especially giddy. It had not one, but two sinks, a large shower, and a tub. The soaps and shampoos, of which there were many, all smelled beautiful. And Rey smelled every one of them. She thought they smelled beautiful and she couldn’t wait to bathe in them all.

  
After exploring her bathroom Rey was interrupted by a knock at her door. Rey ran right away to answer it, and found a young woman, about the same age as herself, behind the door.  
She Curtsied. “Ma’am, is there anything I can assist you with?”

Rey thought for a minute. She was going to refuse the offer, but then she remembered the garden she saw out the window, below the balcony. “Yes, can you take me to the garden?”

********

Rey walked out into the garden. The air was surprisingly cold, and Rey shivered as she walked. All around her were flowers. This was surprising because the trees that grew a distance away were all bare of their leaves. The flowers were red, and their petals were folded in a shape like a droplet of water. Rey stopped and bent down to touch one.

“Winter’s Blaze, miss.” Rey looked up to see who spoke to find a man wearing rougher clothing than any of the servants wore. His skin was tanned and he held a rake. When he saw her, he spoke again. “The flowers, miss. They’re called Winter’s Blaze.”

“They’re beautiful.” Rey began to shiver again, this startled the man.

“Oh, my! You must be freezing. Beth, get her a coat, will you!” He motioned to the servant who led Rey down to the garden. She had been standing near the door. Apparently waiting for further instructions. She immediately ran into the house, as if she were lit on fire. “Think they’re beautiful, you wait til they bloom, miss.”

Leia and Ben walked out a moment later. They were both wearing different clothing than they arrived in. Leia had on a dark gray two-piece suit with thicker fabric, and a coat with fur cuffs and neckline. Ben wore all black again, with a jacket on his shoulders. Since coming to the resistance he had been wearing lighter clothes with a more varied color scheme. Leia would have it no other way. It was unusual seeing him back in black again.

When Leia saw Rey she immediately looked worried.

Ben, looked irritated, as he tore off his jacket and threw it over Rey’s shoulders.

Running over to Rey, Leia held the ends of Ben’s jacket together. “Rey, sweetheart, you’re gonna get sick if you don’t stay warm.”

“We’re on top of it, ma’am,” said the man in the garden. He motioned to reveal Beth, running down the path carrying a large coat.

It was thrown over her shoulders as Ben retrieved his own coat. The new coat was all white with fur lining the rim of a hood. It felt very warm and comfortable.

Leia then led Rey back inside, where servants immediately helped them all shed their coats. Rey didn’t understand what the big deal was, but then Jakku was rarely anything but blazing hot.

“There is a light lunch prepared for you in the next room,” said the servant who took Leia’s coat.

“Thank you.” Leia nodded to the servant.

Rey ran ahead at the mention of food.

Behind her Ben grumbled, “I told you.”

“Oh, it was one incident, and it’s over now. Quit your fretting,” Leia ordered, before speaking up so that Rey could hear. “Rey, I’m sorry. We should have told you how cold it can get here this time of year. I packed several outfits for you that are more ideal for this climate.”

“No problem, and Thanks” answered Rey with a mouth full of crackers.

Lunch was a bowl of warm soup, and sandwiches made from some type of cold meat and cheese. Served with the soup were salty crackers, shaped like some type of sea creature with long tentacles.

“Before Starkiller, I couldn’t have imagined a planet could get so cold,” said Rey, after a while.

“Oh, there are even colder worlds out there. Hoth, Hoth was frigid. You know, there was once this time when Luke nearly froze to death on Hoth. Han had to carve open a Tauntaun and stuff him inside to keep him warm.”

Ben sighed as soon as Luke was mentioned.

Rey’s eyes went wide. “You can freeze to death!”

“Yes. Cold inhibits blood flow, causes confusion, and frostbite,” Ben listed on his fingers. Rey’s eyes were big and filled with worry.

“Only in extreme cases. Nothing you have to worry about here.” Leia gave Ben a serious look. “Ben actually had a stuffed Tauntaun when he was little.” Ben glared at his mom. She continued anyways. “What was it’s name...Dolly… no Polly...”

Ben’s hands went over his face to hide a blush. After a while he corrected, “Molly.”

“Molly, that’s it. It was a gift from one of my old political contacts, and he LOVED that toy. Of course it drove Han crazy mad that his son carried around a toy named Molly.” Ben kept his eyes hidden, as Rey and his mom laughed at the story. “I didn’t want to take Molly away from him, but then one day he came home from school in tears because the other kids were teasing him.  
Han had always argued that would happen.”

Ben looked up at this. He didn’t remember being teased over the toy. He figured his parents took it away because it hurt their image, not his.

“What about you, Rey. Did you have a favorite toy growing up?” Leia asked.

“Um...” Rey thought about what to say. Ben worried this attention on what Rey didn’t have growing up would make her feel bad, and he was about to speak up, when Rey continued. “I had one toy, yes. There weren’t many other kids to play with there, in Nima Outpost. And most of those there were, didn’t want to play with me. But one day there was an older boy, a teenager. He had these toy dolls, action figures he called them. They were dressed in orange clothes, and flew in toy ships he had. I watched him play a few times. I remember he was kind to me. Then, one day I made a doll of my own, to look like his toys.”

“And did he play with you, after that?” Leia asked. Her eyes were soft, like she pulled from the story more pain than Rey shared.

“No, I never saw him after that. His parents must have moved on. But I kept the toy, to remind me sometimes people can be kind.” Rey finished her story with a slight smile. It, to her, was a happy story. A time when she didn’t feel completely alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also have this story uploaded on FanFiction dot Net. It's under the same username, and I will continue to update it both places, so you may choose where you'd rather read it.


	24. Chapter 24 - Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey, Ben, and Leia arrive at a fancy estate. Leia's cousin is still away on buisness, but the house has many servants who are to treat them as family.

Chapter 24

Ben was not a big fan of Holiday Week, or holidays in general. Sure, when he was a kid it was fun. It meant a break from school and good food. But it also, more often than not, meant his dad would get drunk before the end of the first night, his parents would find something to argue about by the third, and by the end of the week, he’d be lucky if they got to the point where they wouldn’t be talking to each other at all. The Knights of Ren had their own holidays, and they usually involved fighting over the master position. They weren’t much into celebrating, that bunch. And Snoke’s holidays all had to do with himself. He once heard a couple troopers chuckling over celebrating the Supreme Leader having a hangnail removed. Still, a party is a party, and most in the First Order were happy to celebrate anything. But Snoke used to frown upon his apprentice having any fun. Holidays were usually spent meditating, or completing side missions. Either way, completely alone.

  
This holiday, Ben had a mission, to show Rey the full scope of Holiday Week, and as he did that, he found he was enjoying more of the experience as well. Whether they were listening to carols performed by a group of neighbors, or running after them, because Rey wanted to join them at the next house, he found himself having fun.

  
When his mom gave them a chip with some credits and sent them to the market, Ben took advantage of the opportunity to show Rey some of the town. The center of town, as all towns on Naboo he knew, would be decorated to the brim. Lights, Garland, and Ribbons were everywhere, as were scenes built to show the historic events which were being celebrated. These included people and Gungans in costume, and animals of all kinds.

  
Rey was enjoying the experience, he could tell, and she asked many questions as they walked. As Ben answered her questions, he felt himself digging into memories he rarely visited. Memories of happy times. His mom reading to him by a fire as Han rubbed her shoulders. His dad asking him to help summon his mom so she’d walk underneath the Konstle-toe, where Han would be waiting to kiss her. That part Ben always found gross, but his dad paid him well. Then Chewy would always end each holiday by bringing him a present back from his own Holiday Week trip.

*****

Leia knew that in this house she was expected to sit back and let the personal chef cook dinner, but Leia wanted this dinner to be special. She was never very good at sitting back, anyways. Truth, she didn’t really need anything at the market, but she didn’t want to keep those two in the house all day, either. ‘It’ll be good for them,’ she thought.

  
“That sounds like them,” Leia said to Mervin, the personal chef who accepted his demotion to sous chef admirably. Mervin nodded, as he checked the Roast Ponturkin in the oven was near done. Leia ran ahead to the door to meet Ben and Rey as they walked in. Ben carried a bag of groceries much larger than the few items she sent them for.

  
“That was fantastic. I’ve never seen one building so full of food!” Rey exclaimed as she came in.

  
“Well, I see you two enjoyed yourselves. Dinner is almost ready. Why don’t you two sit down, and tell me all about it.” Leia ushered them out of the kitchen before they got too close a look at the meal being prepared. She had a few surprises she was sure not even Ben was expecting.

*****

Later that evening, Ben led Rey into the dining room. The table was made with a white tablecloth, and a bouquet of exotic flowers. He pulled out a seat for Rey, while his mom took the head of the table. Then a servant wheeled in a cart with a steaming hot meat on it.

  
“Ben, would you carve the Ponturkin,” said Leia. Ben looked surprised, but she nodded.

  
Ben stood, and took the knives from the servant. The last time he remembered being at a family meal it was his dad who carved the meat. Remembering his Dad’s flair for the dramatic, Ben let one of the knives twirl in his hands before going in and slicing meat for everyone. His mom rolled her eyes, but Rey laughed.

  
In addition to the Roast Ponturkin, there were countless side dishes, and Rey enjoyed them all. Then they brought out a dish that was so heavenly, there should have been angels singing. They called it Dessert. It was a pink and white custard swirled together, topped with a white cream and toasted nuts. Leia called it Chestpie. It tasted sweet, spicy, and fruity all at once.

  
It was during the meal that Leia explained another Holiday Week tradition on Naboo. “Every year, the Naboo wildlife council group rescues animals from severe harm. It’s tradition that one such animal will be released into the wild again at midnight tonight, and they will broadcast a news-holo of it’s release live. Everyone stays up to view it. This year, it’s a Pelikki that was found with an injured wing.”

  
“It’s supposed to be symbolic for making a change. A new life, not so built on destruction,” Ben added.

  
“Oh, ok,” Rey nodded along.

  
“Why don’t you go into the family lounge and find the station it’s being broadcast on. I’ll join you in a little while.” Leia was feeling stiff after having such a big meal.

  
Rey walked out of the room, but it surprised Leia when Ben stayed. He looked suddenly serious and deep in thought. “I’m sorry,” came a pained whisper. His eyes didn’t leave the floor.

  
“Are you ready to have our talk?” Leia asked.

  
Ben took a very big breath in, letting it out slowly. “Yes. What do you want to know?”

  
“I’m sorry, Ben.” He looked up at Leia with shock in his eyes. “I knew that Snoke, or some dark power, was effecting you when you were still in my womb. I failed to protect you from his influence.”

  
“No, mom, I…” Ben started.

  
“As your mother, it was my responsibility, and I failed. Then I knew your uncle Luke had nightmares. He had moments when he was seized with panic as if he were back on the battlefield again. He said they stopped, but I knew he wasn’t being completely honest. Then I asked him to take on a responsibility so big I was unable to achieve it myself. I asked him to train you.”

  
By now Ben had tears in his eyes. “Luke...”

  
“Luke told me what he did. What he almost did. Do you think that was in the right mind? If he had killed you, my baby. He’d still be dead now, and I’d be the one in the mask. It would have achieved nothing. Luke was not well, and I should not have given him that responsibility alone.”

  
Ben cried for several minutes. “But I killed…”

  
“Han loved you, so very much. I told him to bring you home, but you weren’t ready. Han never would have refused. Even if he knew how it would turn out, he never would have turned away. You have a lot of him in you.” Ben shook his head, and Leia continued. “Yes you do. I see him every day. In your eyes, the way you talk with Rey, your smile.” Ben let out a nervous smile “There it is. Yes, you have his smile.”

  
Just then Ben surprised his mother again. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Leia, squeezing her in a hug.

*****

The news-holo was displaying a story about how the Pelikki was rescued, along with facts about how they live, what their natural habitat is like, etcetera, etcetera. It was all leading up the the big release.

  
Leia looked down and saw Rey looked tired. She was trying very hard to stay awake, but her eyes didn’t seem to want to obey.

  
“Go ahead and rest for a bit, dear. We’ll wake you when its time.” Leia passed her a pillow.

  
Rey let out a very big yawn and mumbled something before she took the pillow and fell asleep on the couch.

  
Leia looked over at Ben, intending to start a discussion on tomorrow’s activities. Ben, however, seemed to fall asleep just as quickly as Rey did. _‘Oh well, I’ll wake you both up when it’s time,'_ Leia thought to herself.


	25. Chapter 25 - The Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben's mood improved as he experienced more of Holiday Week's traditions with Rey for the first time again. Leia and Ben have their talk, opening up again about many emotional issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are the type of reader who becomes confused easily, and hates reading out of consecutive order chapters, than I apologize for the beginning of the next chapter. I promise, if you keep reading, by the end it should make sense. If not, then leave me a note in the comments and I'll see what I can do to improve it.

Chapter 25

Ben wiped the sweat from his brow, as he looked across the desert horizon. There he saw smoke in the distance, and knew that’s where he wanted to go. As he walked, the sand seemed to get deeper, and was harder to walk through. But walk through it he did.

  
By the time it was getting past his kneecaps, he was having a hard time picking up his feet. He bent his knees and attempted to push the sand out of his way, but something shoved him and he lost his balance, falling backward. He was quickly covered in sand. Ben struggled there, batting at the sand as a drowning person bats at water. The sand seemed very deep and covered his face. He could feel sand getting into his mouth and going down his throat. He was going to drown in the stuff.

  
Some time later Ben woke lying on top of the sand again. Remembering what just happened, he frantically coughed, but there was no longer sand in his throat. Beside him was the still smoking wreck of a crashed cruiser. It clearly would never fly again, though there might have been something of value inside. So Ben crawled in through an open gash on the side.

  
An hour later, or so Ben thought, he pulled several pieces of junk back to his residence, an old AT-AT Walker wasting away on the desert floor. The place, he remembered, used to belong to Rey, but where she was now, and how he got here he couldn’t remember. He went to a wall and carved a notch in it to mark the day, amongst countless other notches. He knew it was how Rey used to keep track of the days, in this place, but he wasn’t sure how many of the notches were his alone.

  
Then he heard a noise, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. There should not be anyone in his own residence. Not here, not now. Ben reached for his weapon, but it was gone. Frantically he searched among the belongings, but there was neither a staff, nor a lightsaber anywhere.

  
From behind him he heard an evil chuckle, then he felt an elbow come down to clobber him over the head. This took the wind out of Ben. The unnamed assailant grabbed him by his shoulders and dragged him outside. His assailant shoved him in the side, causing him great pain, when he tried to struggle. Ben felt helpless, as he gave up fighting back and allowed himself to be dragged away.

  
It wasn’t until later that night that Ben was able to get up again. As he rolled over in the sand and pulled himself up all of his muscles felt sore. Even ones he didn’t remember being injured in the encounter. When he walked back inside he noticed the pile of salvaged parts from the previous day were gone. Alarmed, Ben walked to the back, where there was a hole in the floor. He frantically dug in the sand, to where an old metal box was buried. This box, he knew, kept his only stash of portions, rations the old junk dealer trades in place of credits. When the box was up, Ben opened it with trepidation. Empty, the box was empty.

  
Ben felt hopeless as he walked outside, throwing the empty box away as he walked. He felt a sudden pang of hunger in his chest, while his throat felt dry and chapped. He looked down at his chest, pulling up his shirt to reveal his ribs were beginning to show. Suddenly his body lost what muscle he had, as it began wasting away in front of his very eyes. He saw worms begin to eat what remained of his body, then he saw the wind cover his bones in sand.

*****

“It’s time to wake up,” Ben felt like he was being nudged. He opened his eyes to see his mom standing over him in the dim light of the room. The pangs of hunger were gone, and replaced by the satisfaction of a filled stomach.

  
Rey awoke next, sitting beside Ben on the couch. She realized immediately that she had laid her head on Ben’s shoulder and pulled away from him in a sudden jolt. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  
“No problem,” Ben replied, and turned to the holo to watch the release.

  
There was a clock in the corner counting down the time, now it was just a few minutes. The Pelikki was still locked in a crate, but was now placed on location in a swamp. There was a Veterinarian discussing the Pelikki’s healing. He said he wasn’t sure if the bird would fly away immediately or come out slowly, but he was sure it’s bones were healed and it would be able to fly away and survive in the wild.

  
When the timer counted down to zero, the mechanical seals on the box released, and the box opened. The Pelikki took a few timid steps out. It seemed to be looking around, examining the ground near where it was released. Then it opened up it’s wings and took off. Images of it in flight were projected on the holo-broadcast. As it flew up and away, off into freedom, the anthem of Naboo was played. When the camera came back to a room of news reporters, they all had their hats off, and were holding them over their hearts.

  
“How beautiful.” Leia turned off the holo, then she turned to the others. Rey was yawning again, as she stretched getting up. Leia then yawned in turn. “Ok, off to bed now. For real this time.”

Rey and Ben obeyed and walked back to their rooms.

  
“Did you have any dreams, earlier?” Ben asked Rey on the way there.

  
“No, none that I can remember. Why?”

  
“No reason.” Ben then turned and walked into his bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a very long chapter, then ended up dividing it up into two. After the next chapter it should get very exciting...That's all I'll hint about.


	26. Chapter 26 - Padme's Belongings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben has a dream about being stranded in Jakku desert. He almost drowns in sand, then scavenges parts. When he gets home, he's beaten, robbed, and he dies of hunger in the desert. Then he wakes up.

Chapter 26

The next morning, as Leia was fixing up her hair, she heard a knock by her door. The servant who answered it stepped aside to let Ben walk in. He looked nervous.

“Ben, what’s wrong?” Leia asked.

Ben looked down, then back up. “I… I need to talk.”

Leia nodded, then with a wave of her hand dismissed the servant. She pulled over another chair with her cane, and patted it. “Sit down.”

Ben did as she instructed. “I th...I think I had a vision... last night.”

Leia raised her eyebrows. “From what I know, visions are not as straightforward a way of predicting the future as you’d think. They often need to be handled with a grain of salt.”

“Oh, it wasn’t a vision of the future. It was more like a dream that I shouldn’t have had. I was living Rey’s old life, as a scavenger in Jakku.”

“A shared dream. This is interesting.”

“No, I don’t think it was shared. I mean, Rey was nowhere in the dream, and when I asked her she said she didn’t have any dreams. None she remembered anyway. Besides, in the dream I knew who I was, just not how I got there.”

“A transferred dream then, or a dream your mind created based off of what was in her head. Your Uncle will want to hear about this. And the girl, you should tell her too.”

Ben bowed his head again, studying the floor in front of him. His hands began to fidget in front of him.

Leia sighed. She reached out and held Ben’s hands together to still them. “You’re nervous...Ashamed?”

Ben nodded. “The dream, it was rough. It felt like I had been there forever, and I saw inside what was her residence there. I was attacked there. I felt hopeless, helpless, and a hunger that was unlike anything else. It feels almost too intimate to say that I shared it. What if she gets angry with me?”

“Ben, this isn’t your fault. The bond you share is not something either of you can control.”

Ben shook his head, tears were in his eyes. “But what if it wasn’t the bond. There was a time when I looked through her memories. It was when I was interrogating her for the map. My own mind could have come up with the dream out of what I saw then.”

Leia nodded, “I think you feel a lot of regret over this interrogation. Perhaps you should start with that. Tell her how you feel now and apologize. Then tell her about this dream. I still think there’s a possibility it was a part of your bond, and if so it could happen again. Only next time it could reverse, sending her into one of your nightmares. She should be warned.”

“Alright.” Ben took several deep breaths. “I’m gonna need some time though.”

******

That morning Rey was awaken by Beth, the servant who had been helping her since her arrival here, pulling back her curtains. Beth had already gone into the closet and selected an outfit for the day.

“Good Morning,” Rey sat up and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the day.

“Good Morning, Ma’am.” Beth smiled at her. “Breakfast, or clothes first, Miss?”

“Breakfast,” said Rey, who smelled the rich flavors wafting off the tray, sitting on a table. Beth picked up the tray and placed it on the bed in front of Rey. “This breakfast in bed thing, I can get used to it.”

Rey started taking a sip of the caf. Caf was a beverage they drink a lot of with the Resistance. Rose, she drinks a lot of it when she has to work long nights to keep everything up and running. When Rey first tasted it, she nearly spat it back out. It was so bitter, but then Rose taught her how to sweeten it. Also to eat Rey had two eggs, and fried strips of a salty, and smoky meat. The type of meat was unknown to her, but she liked it very much.

For the first time that morning Rey glanced outside. It seemed the flowers in the garden below had all bloomed overnight. In the middle of their red petals, there were yellow streaks, the combination of which looked like a fire, burning on the snow below. “Winter’s Blaze!” Rey exclaimed, remembering the name of the flower. It truly was a sight to behold.

When Rey finished her breakfast, Beth took the tray away while Rey put her outfit on. Rey was just dressed, and starting to brush her hair in the mirror when she heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Beth returning after bringing her tray to the kitchen, Rey yelled, “Come in.”

Leia opened the door and stepped through.

Rey looked up at her in surprise. “Oh, Gen...Leia. I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

Leia smiled and stepped over to the vanity where Rey sat. “May I?” Her hand went over Rey’s hairbrush. Rey nodded, and Leia picked up the brush and began to stroke Rey’s hair. “I wanted to look through the collection of my mother’s belongings this morning, and I was hoping you’d come with me. Conner says he’s got several chests and boxes worth of stuff in one of the old bedrooms up here?”

“Um, yeah, of course I’ll help you. Wouldn’t you want Ben to help you instead, though?”

“Ben needs to clear his head. He’ll be off meditating for a while. We can show him what we discover later today. There, how do you like that?” Leia pulled back to let Rey examine her hair in the mirror.

Rey gasped. Leia had weaved her hair into a whole new style, and used one of the newer clips from the kit to tie it back with. She had several braids that went down to make a loop, and back up again to where they were fastened in the back of her head. “I like it.” Rey smiled at Leia.

******

Leia led Rey to a room, and typed in a code to unlock the door. Inside, the room was painted a light shade of pink with a row of blue flowers painted less than halfway up the wall. There was a large bed made with a blue and white comforter, and Satin pillows. On the bed were sitting several boxes and at the foot of the bed was a large trunk.

Rey helped Leia open the trunk first, to reveal several exquisite gowns. She and Leia took some time to hold each dress up and admire it. Leia had Rey hang the dresses on clothes hangers. “Pooja said I could keep anything I like, and I think it’d be a shame not to have these dresses aired out. They should be worn again, don’t you think?”

Rey nodded. She had only worn one dress in her entire life, and couldn’t imagine leaving such fine dresses to waste away in a trunk.

In the next box they found a device with a whole bunch of holographs stored in its memory. Rey placed the device on a surface in the room and set it to play through it’s images. It began with images of a small child, surrounded by a loving family. Then came several images of the girl receiving awards at school. She must have been very accomplished. Then came images of her standing in front of crowds. It looked like she was giving a speech. In another, her face was painted, and she sat on a throne. She was still a girl though. Several images later, the girl became a woman, and she was photographed next to a young man. He had short blond hair with a thin strand of hair long and braided on the side. He wore Jedi robes and a happy smile was on his face. Rey and Leia looked at the image in shock, before Leia paused the images.

“That’s Vader… Anakin,” Rey corrected herself.

“My father, yes. Not many would recognize that face though.”

“Ben and I met his force ghost once. He was arguing with Luke’s force ghost. They do that a lot from what I hear. Never really did find out what about, but whatever it is, apparently Han’s on Anakin’s side.”

Leia chuckled and nodded. She turned back to the box. There she pulled out a journal, surprisingly handwritten. Leia opened the book and began to read what was written.

“Dear diary. Today was the ceremony that I can tell no one but you about. Where I vowed my everything to the love of my life. We said it would lead us to live a lie, hiding this from everyone, but some things are worth giving up integrity for. Love included. Of course, right now, this all feels exciting. My husband… can you imagine that! I just called him my husband… My husband will be here for a few more days. He told the Jedi council he had some type of business to deal with. And after that I will have to go to Theed to handle political matters there. But I know that the soonest we can escape the tedium of daily life, we’ll find our way together again. For that is when we are truly whole, when we are together. Yours truly, Padmé.”

“Awe, that’s so sweet,” said Rey. “It sounds like they really were in love.”

“We were,” said the blond man from the holograph. No not the holograph, that still stood paused. “She was my everything.”

“Father.” Leia sounded shocked to see him here. She stood eyeing him up and down.

“Daughter,” Anakin smiled. “You’ll want to skip the entries on pages three, four, eleven, and seventeen. Your mother says those weren’t intended for the children to read.” Anakin gave them a wink, then disappeared.

******

Later that day, Leia and Rey had their favorite items packed up, including the diary written by Padmé, and were waiting for Ben to come down, so they could show off their findings. Leia had a lunch prepared and she seemed very interested in hearing about Jakku, of all places.

“No, there were no schools. One of the older ladies gave classes out of her tent, but some of us couldn’t attend her classes more than once a week. If you don’t salvage scrap, you have nothing to eat.”

“And did you go hungry a lot?” Leia’s eyes were filled with pity and curiosity.

“Early on, yes. After a while I learned to ration what I had so if I didn’t have a whole portion to eat, I’d still have half, or even a quarter. Of course, there were dry spells. Where I couldn’t get decent deals, or couldn’t find anything valuable, and the stash would dry up.”

“Was your stash ever robbed? Did anyone ever steal your food?”

“There were thieves who’d try to rob you going to and from Nima Outpost, but I’m good at defending myself. Most of them learned it, too. The hard way…” Rey thought for a moment before she continued. “When I was younger, though. Yeah, I was robbed a number of times. You learn quickly not to carry all of your portions around with you. Mine were buried in a hole under my AT-AT. And that was never robbed, thankfully. Though I did have a lot of nightmares about it happening.” Rey’s voice trailed off, as she went deeper into thought.

“Miss, are you expecting a Wookie?” Conner, the Butler, peaked his head into the room. They could hear Chewie’s growl down the hall.

“Chewie!” Rey and Leia both exclaimed together. They were not expecting him to come to Naboo, though they both jumped up anyway and ran to meet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again,  
> As you can see, there's a reason I had this chapter after Ben and Leia had their talk. I figure, only after then would Ben be willing to go to his mom to confide in her about this. And a conversation with Leia about these dreams was the version that seemed to feel best. I also want to explain some about 'the talk' Ben and Leia had two chapters ago. I do not, in any way, feel that the mother is always to blame. But I felt watching TFA that she has a lot of guilt, and probably the one thing she'd do if she could was to apologize. I also think it would be equally shocking for Ben, who's probably expecting to be yelled at and blamed. Mothers do tend to martyr themselves a bit, taking on the responsibilities of the whole world with their kids, even when logically there was nothing they could do differently. And I think Leia would be the same. I also went with an interpretation of Luke's character that I read about, where Luke had PTSD, and that was why he tried to kill his nephew. I assume he'd of confessed sometime after TLJ, in ghost form, because he seemed to want to confess in the end of TLJ but she wasn't listening. 
> 
> In the next chapter, I haven't written it yet, but I do expect it will get exciting, as we find out exactly why Chewy is crashing their vacation.


	27. Chapter 27 - Stoking Rebellion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben confides in his mom about the Dream, Leia and Rey go through Padme's belongings, and then Chewy shows up unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I edited this a bit to make it clearer. See the note at the end for more details.
> 
> Trigger Warning: This chapter has some violence, including weapons use, off screen torture, and in prison violence. I still consider it to be T rating appropriate, but I wanted to put in the warning anyways.

Chapter 27

Sevőn-Yell looked up at the stack on his workbench. It still seemed so high, even though it was getting late. He was working in the same factory his dad worked at before him. In his dad's time they were making uniforms for the Empire, but these days it was for the First Order. His job was to stitch on the duty patch, then put the uniform, folded, onto the next tray. It wasn't very glorious work, but it paid the bills. As much as you can ask for, right.

Still, their workload had increased recently, and they were all staying much later just to finish. It wouldn't be so bad, if he still had his Holiday Week vacation, but that was eliminated too. This made Yell feel glad he didn't have a family at home. Oon-Jabal, who worked in the station next to him, had a wife and a litter of newborns at home, and staying late, combined with not getting a full night's rest was clearly having an effect on him.

"Jabal, Jabal." Yell poked him in the side, waking him up.

"What!" Jabal woke startled. "I'm getting back to work."

"No, go home. I'll take the rest of them."

"Thanks Yell, I'll make it up to you." Jabal sighed in relief.

Yell knew that probably wouldn't happen, but he nodded to Jabal anyways and took the stack back to his own workstation. He glanced above and noticed the manager either hadn't noticed their interaction, or thought better and just ignored it. Yell was glad, because such a thing was against regulations.

It was long dark out when Yell finished. Thanks to the extra work he took on he was the last one to finish, and because of it he had to take the unusable fabric scraps out to the dumpster bin in the alley beside the factory. It was more an informal rule, as the management didn't care who took out the garbage.

When he dragged the bags outside, he looked up. He could swear he heard something in the far end of the alley. Passing it off as just an animal, he turned to lift one of the bags. He heard it again. This time he was curious, so he put down his bag and went to go take a look.

What he found made him take a step back in surprise. There were four stormtroopers wearing a dusty brown armor. He didn't know what station wears that type of armor. They were clearly trying to hide, unsuccessfully, by the way they were gathered. One of them made a lot of noise as he couldn't stop fidgeting.

Another of them pulled up a hand and waved it in front of his face. "You saw nothing. You will go about your day." She said. Her voice was clearly female.

"I saw nothing," Yell felt compelled to say, though he didn't know why. Then he shook his head and cleared the thought out of him. "I did see something. Who are you? What are you doing out here?"

"That won't work on his species." said the deep voice of another. "And I told you we shouldn't bring him."

"I seconded that. This is definitely counter to my programming. And I'm going to be cleaning this smog out of me for years. I can already feel it in my joints." The noisy one said in a very mechanical voice.

"Shut-up" said all three of the others to him at once.

"Well, what do you want to do about him then?" went the female.

"We could kill him," said the one with the deep voice again.

"No, we can't kill him. Not just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We'll find another way." Said the female.

Yell wasn't going to continue to stand there while they argued about killing him. He tried to turn around, to alert someone, but he found that his muscles just wouldn't move.

He looked back. Two of them were standing now. Had they made up their minds? The female reached up and took off her mask. "I'm Rey." she said, Clearly she was no stormtrooper. She was a human female with brown hair and a gentle demeanor.

"And I am Finn." The next to pull off his mask was a dark skinned human male. Yell felt like he had military experience. Maybe he actually was a stormtrooper.

"C3-PO Human-Cyborg Relations." The noisy one was actually a droid!

Then the man with the deep voice pulled off his mask. His black hair and scar on the side of his face was very recognizable. Yell had seen his face before.

A few months ago they released a holo announcing the death of this man. The Supreme Leader of the First order, Kylo Ren, was dead. Or was he standing in front of him right now? He had heard a couple of rumors from off-worlders, who'd seen another Holo, that he was still out there, but such rumors are rarely true. And the Holo in question never got to his world. Pulling up his jaw, which had fallen to the floor, Yell finally spoke. "How can I help?"

This response surprised them all. The Supreme Leader had been fingering a lightsaber, probably expecting to need to take him out after all.

"After your death was announced, they doubled our work orders, and cut back our pay. I know people who were already working their fingers to the bone before, now they're falling apart. I never imagined myself a rebel, pardon the term, sir. But if you are here to take over, I'll help. Something needs to change." Yell tried to sound sincere, though he was sure he'd be shaking if it weren't for the strange hold the force-wielder had on him.

Rey's eyes became sad. "We're actually not..."

The Supreme Leader interrupted her, "We need to get into the prison at the end of this street. Can you help with that?"

"Yes, my buddy Hal works there. If you hide in the laundry bins, he'll drive you past the gate." Yell felt excited to be able to make a difference.

"Lead us there." The supreme leader waved his hand, and Yell was able to walk again.

*****NEW ADDITION*****

-Much Earlier-

Chewy was in the foyer, arguing with several servants who's understanding of Shyriiwook was about the same as yours of a dog growling.

"He wants you to give him back his bag," said Ben as he walked down the stairs. The servants looked around thankful and obeyed.

Just then Rey and Leia ran into the Foyer. Rey hugged Chewy, while Leia stood back and eyed him suspiciously.

Chewy ended his hug with Rey and growled an explanation at Leia. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a silver device. He pushed a button and up popped a Holo.

It was Lt. Connix. "Oh, Chewy, I'm afraid I may have made a mistake. I don't know if it's just my anxiety or if my gut is trying to tell me something, but I don't have a good feeling about this. Poe and I worked out a plan to get a strike against the First Order, and now I'm worried that it will all fail. The first step is for Poe to go here." A set of coordinates appeared floating in midair above her head. "He will then allow himself to be captured. My part is that I am supposed to rescue him, which is where I am afraid I will fail. Chewy, if I don't report in again in a day, can you come looking for me? Oh, and if you could be so kind, please don't tell the General about this. She'd eat us for dinner. Thanks."

Chewy then growled explaining how he recieved the message three days ago, but only saw it that morning.

"It's ok, Chewy. You were on your Holiday," said Leia. "Ben, go tell the butler to pack up our things. I can't leave them in First Order custody. Together they know too much. Besides, this plan has Poe written all over it, and I need to kill him myself."

"We can stop by the Bormea Sector on our way and pick up Finn and Rose," Rey suggested.

"Yes, but first I want to make a pit stop. I won't send you in there without a plan B," said Leia.

They were packed up and on their way faster than you'd expect, thanks to the servants. Onboard the Falcon, C3-PO greeted Leia. "Princess, I mean General Leia. I just want to say that I was not a part to this plan of Lt. Connix and Commander Dameron. Infact, I warned them that the probability of success was less than..."

"Don't worry, C3-PO, No one holds you responsible," Leia interrupted. "Did you activate Project White Out?"

"Yes General. Project White Out is well underway. I estimate it will be finished in..." C3-PO answered Leia.

-Present-

*****END OF ADDITION*****

The strange group followed Yell around a couple corners. Yell seemed to understand he needed to lead them the back way, through alleys and other hidden ways. When they were closer to their destination, Rey pulled Kylo Ren to the back of the group and began having a hushed conversation with him. Yell didn't know who this Rey was, but to have such a heated conversation with the Supreme Leader, she must be impressive.

"We can't just lie to him like this. You know we have no intention to take over."

"It's getting him to help."

"He's risking his life," Rey whispered in an emotional tone.

"And his risks will have an effect, just one a little more long-term than he's expecting."

"Ooh, you are impossible."

"This is the rebel game. A game of war. Or haven't you been playing long enough to tell," Ben growled.

Rey just glared at Ben, then joined up with the others.

"Hal, remember how you owe me a favor." Yell was speaking through an open door. He scratched the red scales on the back of his neck nervously. Hal, a larger reptilian seemed groggy, like he just got out of bed. Hal looked out at the group around Yell, who were wearing their helmets again, and nodded, ushering them inside.

Inside it looked to be the back entrance to a large scale laundry facility. On one wall were large round glass windows, showing a round metallic chamber, and in the center of the room was a large metal table piled high with folded garments. Hal and Yell had a whispered conversation on the edge of the room.

After their conversation, Hal led them through this room and into another. This one seemed to be a garage. It had a large bin, which was hooked up to be towed by a large speeder. Yell opened up a door on the side of the bin, and ushered the four inside. As they got settled, Hal led a droid in which carried piles of the garments from the other room. These garments were put in the bin to hide it's occupants. "Hold still," was the only instructions they were given.

"Thanks Hal, I know you've been having it hard this past couple months," said Yell.

"No, thank you. If he takes over, he's sure to remember who helped. Say, you should talk to Fate, down at the Bar. She'll know more who'll be willing to help, if you use the code word: Topple Wood."

"Topple Wood, I sure will. Thanks." Yell seemed pleased with the direction of the evening.

Those in the bin didn't hear any of this conversation, though. No, they waited in the Bin for what felt like hours. Then they felt movement, and knew they were on their way.

"Papers." a loud voice broke out. Hal pulled them out of their usual compartment. "Pass," went the voice again, and Hal drove through the gate.

Inside, Ben could sense the use of a scanner, and he put up a shield with the force to hide everyone. He didn't know if the scanner would be sensitive enough to detect them or their weapons, but he didn't want to risk it.

Then they heard the bin door opening. Hal whispered, "Come out and duck under the tables."

Ben led the way, ducking low as he suggested. The others followed. They were surrounded by Tables piled high with clothing.

"Through that door. Turn left and you'll be in the low-security wing. Third door on your left is an employees locker room. Look for a key card. Check locker number 424, he's been out sick for the past several days. I trust opening a locker will be no trouble for you." Ben didn't respond, which Hal took for confirmation. "Then you'll need to turn back and go straight and you'll find the high-security wing. I can't tell you what's past that, I'm afraid."

Ben nodded, then turned to lead his team through the door specified. Getting the key-card proved to be as simple as it was described. Once they were through the high-security wing door, that's where things got complicated. The prisoners held here were mostly the violent type, and walking through involved walking past several cells. Some inmates were chained to a wall or bench, but most were free standing.

"Hey!" one of the inmates started shouting when they were halfway down a hallway. This attracted the attention of several guards. Another inmate then pulled out a blade and grabbed a third inmate through the bars dividing their cells. Whether it was intentional or not, it caused enough of a disturbance for them to run through the section before the guards found them.

It was at the end of that section that they found who they were looking for. "Connix, she's in here." Rey motioned towards the blond female strapped to the wall. Ben opened the door with the key-card, then he used the force to release her from her binds. 

Meanwhile Finn saw a guard turning around a corner, and he used his Blaster to stun him. "We've got to get out of here soon. Where's Poe?"

"They have him for interrogation. He's been there far longer than he should've. It's why I couldn't get him out. I got captured instead. Where's Chewy? I figured he'd come himself when I sent him the message," Connix answered.

"He's on plan B," said Ben.

"Ben? No wait. That means the General. Oh NO! I told Chewy not to..." Connix's face turned white with panic.

"She's got a few things to say to you, but it will have to wait till we get out of here." Rey ushered Connix out of her cell and down the hall, walking between the others.

They walked down two more hallways, before they heard him. Standing outside a closed door, they could hear Poe yelling inside.

"Ghh Ohh. I told you all I know. You have the location of the resistance base. Planet Z339E7 point 46829 N 32811 E. What more do you want to know. Where I hide my whiskey," Poe spat. "Aah, It's under the desk in my personal office."

Out in the Hall, Ben, Rey, and Finn surrounded the door and looked at each other with worried expressions under their masks. Meanwhile C3-PO stood with Lt. Connix down the hall a ways.

Ben used the force to fling open the door, and Finn turned quickly to begin blasting through the door. Rey and Ben pulled out their lightsabers and turned to join the fight. They blocked a lot of shots, as Finn took out the three armed guards.

The interrogator was a large man who wore an expensive suit and a jeweled ring on his right hand. When the fighting started, he pulled out a blade from a rack of torture devices and held it to Poe's throat. He didn't have the chance to use it though, because Ben motioned with a hand and the interrogator flew back and slammed into the wall behind him. Rey motioned with her hand to release the binds that held Poe down to a table.

"Jedi," said Poe, as he hobbled off the table and reached out to hug his rescuers. Rey slapped him across the face, causing him to take a step back.

"What were you thinking! Now you've given away our location." Rey's voice was high pitched and angry.

"That was the point. Where's Connix? Didn't she tell you, when she brought you in."

"We've got to run," Finn suggested as he pushed the others out the door again.

The group ran back to the entrance they used. Hal and his truck of Laundry were gone, so they ran outside and to the gate. There was a guard who pulled a blaster out and started shooting. Finn tried to pull out his blaster again, but was too slow. Another reptilian was standing at the checkpoint. He pulled out a long bladed weapon and used it on the guard. When they reached the gate he opened it for them.

On the other side of the gate there were four Reptilians who motioned them to follow, saying "Topple Wood," as if it was something they'd recognize.

Not having many other options, the group decided to follow. "Figured you'd be headed back to your shuttle?" One of them said when they were nearer to it. Ben nodded. "Took eight teams of scouters hours to find it, but we've had it guarded since."

"Topple Wood," another one of them shouted as three reptilians stepped out from the shuttle and pulled out weapons. They immediately settled, putting their weapons back again.

As they ran into the shuttle, one of the reptilians turned to Ben and said, "Supreme Leader, You'll be pleased to learn we've taken over 3 sections of the city so far. Your army will be able to walk right through." Ben stood still for a moment, before nodding slowly and continuing into the shuttle. 

Ben couldn't help but think, _'Rey was right. We shouldn't have done this. It was dishonest. How many are going to loose their lives because of us today?_ '

Inside, Rey was having a heated argument with Poe.

"The point of this whole thing was to get captured. I'd give them the location of the base, which the First Order would take like it was candy. Then when their Battle Cruiser, or better yet their Dreadnought shows up, BB-8 uses the cannons on the Zealot's Vindication, that's that Star Dreadnought we stole from the First Order, remember it. BB-8 uses it's cannons to blow them out of the sky."

Rey by now had her helmet off, and was near tears as she confronted Poe.

"The Zealot's Vindication is our plan B," Ben said.

"The General will have it on it's way here, if Rose was able to repair the damage to the hyper-drive," Finn added.

Poe then looked as emotional as the others. "But then… I told them that location days ago. They should be there soon, and If the Zealot's not there when they arrive, we'll lose the whole base."

"Now you understand why we're furious." Rey turned to storm off to the pilot's chair. They had somewhere to get to, FAST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter where the other left off, then decided it wouldn't flow right. So I decided to experiment with something new. Please leave a comment and tell me if you can follow the chapter or if you're left off confused, wondering how they got where they are now. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who had been leaving me comments for the last few chapters, and thanks for the Kudos, and the bookmarks as well.
> 
> **NEW NOTE**
> 
> After recieving a couple reviews suggesting it was confusing, I added a small section between the bold stars. If you could be so kind to review telling me if the section makes it better, I'd appreciate it.


	28. Chapter 28 - Poe's Blunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last on: Chewy brought news that Poe and Connix had done something stupid, and gotten captured by the First Order. Ben, Rey, Finn and C3-PO go there disguised as stormtroopers to break them out of a prison. Poe gave away the location of the Resistance Base, as a trap so any ship that came by would be destroyed by the Star Dreadnought the Resistance had stolen, now named the Zealot's Vindication. Only Leia, Rose, and Chewy are now aboard the Zealot's Vindication and are driving it away from the Resistance base. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attention: I made a few revisions to the previous chapter. If you were in any way confused by it, please go back and read it again. the biggest block of new bit is between the bold ***

Chapter 28

Rey went right to the comm and told the General what she’d learned. The Zealot’s Vindication was only a few systems away. Leia seemed disgruntled to learn about the full plan of her underlings. She ordered Rey to fly back to them immediately. “We’ll deal with it when you get here,” was all she would say on the matter.

When they reached the Star Dreadnought, Rey flew into the Hanger, and they left their shuttle and went looking for Leia.

When they got to the bridge, they found Rose and Leia in a stand-off against a familiar little droid.

“BB-8, stand down.” Poe motioned with his hands a surrender.

“We’ve been wracking our brains trying to find out what could possibly cause so many system malfunctions, when it turns out it was this little guy,” Rose sounded exasperated.

Leia turned to look at Poe and Kaydel. The look on her face made them melt.

“General… We can explain...” Kaydel tried to defend herself.

“Later. We have to get back to the base. The First Order is on their way,” Poe ordered.

“No!” Leia refused. “The First Order doesn’t know the resistance stole their Star Dreadnought, why would we fly in there and reveal all to them, just to take out one ship.”

“But if we don’t, then we’ll lose the base.” Kaydel sounded frantic.

“Chewbacca, of all of you, followed orders. When he found out about your little plan, he knew there would be a chance one of you would spill our location. So he activated Project White Out. Every droid we had began emptying the base of all important supplies. The computers will be wiped clean. A message was sent out to all personnel not to return to base, and to await further instruction.”

“Then we’ll have to find another new base.” Said Poe, relieved to maybe have a job to do and that it will put off the inevitable.

Leia didn’t blink an eye. “You’re standing on it.” Poe looked around him in shock.

“This ship is four times the size of our old base, and mobile,” Leia explained.

“But it’s First Order,” Poe pointed out.

“We’ve been releasing holos about the Supreme Leader being active still, and going on missions impersonating his team. This is the next step.”

Poe and Kaydel looked stunned, but Leia didn’t respond to them. She began giving orders to everyone, dividing them up around the ship. There was a lot of damage BB-8 had done to slow them down that now needed to be repaired. Poe and Kaydel were sent with Rose to help repair some of the damage that BB-8 did to the water recycling unit on the upper deck. A mop was needed. Rey was sent to the Hyper-drive engine to get it working again. Ben was sent to the nav computer to unscramble all of it’s connections. And Finn was sent to fetch them all supplies, then to go help Chewy restore life-support.

“BB-8 can sure make a mess when he wants to,” Rey said before she departed.

“You’re not kidding,” Rose rolled her eyes and glared at the droid in question.

Poe reached out to “high five” a mechanical part that came out of the droid.

When they were finally able to fly, Leia ordered them to go to a certain moon, far enough away from their old base to not attract attention, yet close enough they could pick it up on their sensors.

There was indeed a ship orbiting the Resistance base, and Ben recognized it immediately. It was the Finalizer, now probably Hux’s capitol ship. Ben clenched his fists, wishing for once things had gone as Dameron and Connix had planned.

“General, what if he finds out it’s empty? He’ll continue to hunt us then,” Rey asked.

“If Hux is commanding this, he’ll bomb it from orbit. He won’t even notice it’s empty.” As Ben answered her, the Finalizer’s cannons started to fire. Within seconds the site of their former home was all rubble and ash. The few on the bridge took a moment of silence, staring at the screen in disbelief.

“Before we proceed to the Rally Point to pick up R2-D2 and our supplies, set course to Naboo. We have a parade to attend and a Holiday Week to finish,” Leia ordered Ben. Then she turned to Rey. “Go fetch Poe, I wish to speak with him.”

“I understand,” Rey said, and left the Bridge.

She found Poe alongside of BB-8, who both were under the watchful eye of Rose, resolving a plumbing issue in one of the public restrooms on the ship.

“Hi Rey,” Rose greeted her.

“Leia wants to see Poe now, has he earned a break,” asked Rey.

Poe dropped a wrench with a clang, and BB-8 beeped a protest.

“Yeah, I guess nothing I can do to them will match what the General does,” said Rose.

“Are you sure… Oh, alright. I guess I can’t avoid this forever.” Poe wiped his hands clean and started walking. When BB-8 attempted to follow, he gestured with a hand to stop the droid. “It’s ok, little buddy. You keep helping Rose. I’ll take one for the team.”

BB-8 beeped a sad sound, and turned back to the work.

Rey followed the unusually quiet and somber Poe up to the Bridge. When they got there, Ben was the only one there, continuing to do some work on one of the computers. “She’s in there,” he said, motioning towards a small attached room, which Leia claimed as a temporary office.

“How bad is it?” Poe asked Ben. He eyed the door with a worried look on his face.

“A Lylek in a shopping district.” Ben sounded like he was giving the weather.

Poe sighed, “Well, I guess I better say it now, while I still can. Thanks for coming in on the extraction.” Poe gave Bens arm a friendly slap, then turned and walked into the office with his head held high.

“We’ve done enough now, the ship should fly to Naboo without a problem. Do you want to have a look around?” Ben gave Rey a playful smile.

“Ok, I think that’s going to take them a while anyways.” Rey motioned to the closed office door.

Rey eyed the fancy Cafeteria with wide eyes as Ben spoke. “Most First Order ships don’t have a full kitchen. They use rations, but this one has three. One behind there, another for the stormtrooper mess downstairs, and a third in my own quarters. I planned to bring on a whole team of chefs to work them.” He paused feeling a bit of nostalgia, then wiping it away he moved on. “Come, there’s more to see.”

Ben led her out in the hall, to the turbolift, and to another level of the ship. He then ran ahead to a large set of doors, but Rey stopped in the hall. There were a set of windows looking out on the blue-streaks of Hyper-space travel outside. Rey noticed again, how the walls were all white. The floors were all black tile, but with streaks of color. This one was green. Against one wall was a large white rectangular block, with black boarder. Coming out from the top was a holo image of a flowering plant. “This place is beautiful,” Rey said, almost under her breath.

“Would it be weird if I said that I imagined giving you this tour as I designed the ship.” Ben’s face was red, and he nervously rubbed his hand through his hair. “I mean I didn’t imagine it... like this. I’m glad you like it.”

Rey smiled, and ran ahead to the next door. Ben opened it exclaiming, “Now this is a training room!” The room was large, and it was filled with brand new equipment. Some of the stuff Rey had no idea what it’s function was. “Weights, you lift them to build strength… That one strengthens your thighs,” Ben explained as Rey studied what was in the room.

“There’s more,” Ben said. He motioned her to follow through another set of large doors in the room.

Rey walked in and saw a large room, with a gigantic pit in the center, and a walkway around the pit. On one side there were a number of small alcoves. There were steps leading down into the Pit, but those seemed to stop after a while, leading nowhere. Rey could not guess what this room was for, so she looked up to Ben for an explanation.

“It would be more impressive if that droid hadn’t messed with the water tanks. Imagine it full of water. It’s a swimming pool. This is the reason this level has it’s own water recycling unit.”

Rey looked up in shock. She looked around, but could not imagine the whole room filled with water. Who would need that much water! “What’s it for?”

“What do you mean. Swimming, it’s for swimming.” then when she still didn’t look like she understood, he offered her another explanation. “It’s good exercise. It builds muscles and helps your aerobics. Plus it’s a lot of fun.”

Rey shook her head, and put on a mock serious face. “Supreme leader, what kind of dark-sider provides his men with freshly cooked meals, and a swimming pool.”

“You sound like Hux.”

Rey’s face broke into a grin. “I didn’t think Hux was that easy to impress.”

They explored many more rooms, each seeming to impress Rey more than the last. Eventually Ben got the courage to pull Rey over to talk to her about something more serious.

“I started talking to my mom again, about what I did to Han, and other stuff. It’s brought something up, something else I need to apologize for.”

Rey nodded as she explored one of the crew quarters. “I’m sure she’ll understand. Your mom was thrilled just to have you come back, you know.”

“No, I mean Yes, but It’s not her I have to apologize to.” Ben sighed. “When we met. When I interrogated you for Skywalker’s map. I hurt you, reaching into your mind. And I saw things you didn’t want to share with me. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

“What did you see?” Rey asked.

“I saw how lonely you were. I saw you waiting day after day for a family that you knew were never coming back for you. I saw…”

“I know all that. We’ve been through that before. But what else. You’ve brought it up again now, why?”

Ben looked down, then up away from her. “I had a dream. That night we stayed up late, on the couch. I don’t know if my mind stitched it together from what I saw in your head during the interrogation, or if our bond somehow put it there.”

“What was in the dream?” Rey looked at Ben with nervous eyes.

And Ben told her about his dream, about how he was in the desert of Jakku. He told her about how the At-At was robbed and how he felt himself dying of hunger after that.

Rey nodded, her eyes were no longer nervous but welled with emotion. “I’ve had that nightmare.” She looked away. “Not recently, but when I was back on Jakku, I had it a lot. Almost exactly that.”

Ben let out a deep breath. “Then it was the bond then.” He looked back at her, fear in his eyes. “You’re not angry. You don’t feel like it’s too much to have shared this with me.”

“No. I feel...” Rey looked around trying to figure out how she felt. She felt lighter, in fact. Almost like a part of her was glad he shared the dream. “I feel like you understand it.”

“I do.” When Ben said this Rey reached over and laid her palm over his hand. Ben turned his arm over so his palms were touching Rey’s. His eyes stared at their connecting hands, like he was shocked at the contact.

Later that night, Ben, Rey, Leia, Chewy, Rose, Finn, Poe and Kaydel walked off of the Millennium Falcon near the estate on Naboo. They were greeted by a very happy Pooja, who hugged her cousin and greeted all her guests warmly. There was one last event of Holiday Week left, and Leia insisted they all attend. A parade was held in town, and everyone lined the streets to watch.

There were balloons and vehicles decorated in vibrant colors that paraded by on the street below. There were also at least 10 people who stretched a costume of a large ocean creature over them. As they walked they bobbed their heads, making the creature appear to be swimming on the street.

During the parade, Rey reached over and took Ben’s hand. She found herself craving the contact.

Ben looked over and saw his mom smiling at him. He recognized the smile and slight blush as an expression she had once before. As a boy, he once invited a young girl over to do homework together, and his mother swooned over the girl. His dad just said, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, kid.” Young Ben thought they were over reacting. It was only a math worksheet. Still he made a point not to do anymore group assignments with girls.

Ben thought that boy’s reaction would be to drop Rey’s hand and pull out, but Ben made a different decision today. No, he enjoyed this a little too much to risk it not happening again. So instead he squeezed her hand tighter, as they looked up and watched the finale.

For the big finale to the parade, women walked out wearing long blue dresses. They each carried a device, and when they were all in position, a bright ball of light rose up out of the device, and it seemed to float in midair. Then they all seemed to explode as little balls of colored lights floated out from them and bounced all over the block. Ben reached out and as one of the lights streaked by, he used the force to pull it in towards Rey. She poked it and her eyes went wide as she saw it spin off in mid-air.

Rey looked up at Ben with a gigantic smile on her face, one that seemed to fill him up as well. It caught, and he smiled back at her, still holding her hand in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left comments, helping me to revise the last chapter. You've all been especially helpful. 
> 
> I did add a bit of Reylo in this chapter...It's not a whole lot of steam, but a couple of bridges crossed, or recrossed, seeing as they already touched hands in TLJ. I figure they likely hadn't since then, and it kinda, sorta counts as a break up in that movie, so those bridges would need to be forged again. 
> 
> Please leave your thoughts. As always, I enjoy hearing what you think.


	29. Chapter 29 - Oversight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: The Resistance Base was destroyed by Hux from orbit, leaving the Resistance to live on the Zealot's Vindication, a Star Dreadnought they stole from the First Order. Ben and Rey cross another bridge in their relationship, holding hands, and they finished off Holiday Week by attending a parade on Naboo.

Chapter 29

In a tight little corner of the relm where the Force Ghosts spend their time there was a bar, of sorts. And in a corner of said bar, a group were gathered.

“Progress, we’re having so much progress, you two should be proud of yourselves,” said Obi Wan.

“Yes, and did you see them holding hands during the parade!” Anakin smiled.

“They were holding hands, really?” Han Solo lifted a glass of whatever they drink in that relm, and clinked it against Anakin’s glass.

“Now we need to figure out what our next step is going to be,” said the still serious Luke.

“What do you mean? The next step is to get them kissing,” Han said, and Anakin nodded in agreement.

“I mean, ladies, is what’s next in the process of saving that boy?” Luke sounded agitated, as he tried to get the others to focus.

Yes, correct Luke is. Feel strange tides in the force surrounding their bond, I do. Like a tidal wave about to crash ashore, it feels,” Yoda responded.

“He confided in his mom, and he even went on a mission with the Resistance, of sorts,” said Anakin.

“But he still feels immense anger towards Hux, and he misses that life, especially now that he’s on the ship he designed as his royal entourage. These feelings could be affecting their bond,” surmised Luke.

“So that’s our next step. Getting him to let go. Now how are we gonna do that?” Han asked, as the others took a sip of their drinks, and looked around deep in thought.

Back on the Zealot’s Vindication, life seemed to be taking a predictable pattern again. Their supplies and evacuated equipment were picked up and unpacked. The Resistance members were picked up from their vacations. Sure, a lot of them were upset when they found out they’d have to be living on a First Order Star Dreadnought, but they eventually came around when Leia gave her impassioned speech on fighting fire with fire, and using the enemy’s ways against him.

Ben was in a grumpy mood when his mom walked him to his newly assigned room. “But mom, I designed those quarters for myself. The Supreme Leader’s quarters are mine!”

“No, it belongs to the resistance now, and it will be held aside and given to VIP guests, as needed. You will stay in these regular quarters, as anyone else. END of discussion!” Leia walked out, not giving him the chance to argue back.

Ben sunk onto the bed in the regular crew quarters he’d been given. For once he was glad he splurged on the mattresses for his crew. “At least they don’t have me in a stormtrooper bunk.” Ben growled. Fortunately for him, there were only so many Resistance members, that they didn’t need any more than the regular crew quarters. The hundreds of stormtrooper bunks would go unused, for now. Although the others were already having discussions on renovating the space somehow, he’d heard.

“Or in the brig.” Luke’s ghost form hovered beside the bed.

“Ooh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you.” Ben scoffed.

“I’m just saying, they’ve offered you a home, a place to belong. You could at least try to enjoy it. To be a part of it.” Luke glanced up at Ben with soft eyes.

“This isn’t my home. I’m not a member of the Resistance. My home is two floors up, I designed it myself and had it built to suit me.”

“We both know, you designed it to suit more than just yourself, kid.” Luke paused with a playful smile on his lips, while Ben rolled his eyes. “And you would’ve been alone, in that life. Here you are making friends, including a pretty girlfriend.” Ben turned to Luke and glared at him when he mentioned the girlfriend. “You wouldn’t have had that in the First Order.”

“I don’t need friends, and I would have had Rey eventually. When she got tired of living life on one pitiable base after another. I’d of shown her the quality things the First Order has to offer. What I had to offer, and she would’ve taken it.” Ben leaned back and reached up to fidget with his lightsaber as he spoke.

“You do know that girl was raised on Jakku, right. She recons she’s been spoiled since coming to that pitiable base.” Ben stopped fidgeting and turned his scowling face at Luke. “Ok, i’ll play a romantic here. If your feelings for each other were strong enough to eventually bring you together despite the differing loyalties, you can’t argue that this way, it has all happened faster.” Luke held his hands out in a surrender posture.

Ben sighed a resigning sigh. “Yeah, I guess.”

Luke looked around him for a second. “Good, now you’re needed on the bridge, I hear.” Ben got up looking concerned. “Go now.” Luke motioned as if to push him from the room.

Ben got up to the bridge as quickly as he could. There was a tension there that you could cut with a knife. “What’s going on?” he asked one person behind a desk, who jumped just hearing his voice.

“Oh, Ben, good, you’re here.” Leia came over and put her hands on Ben to lead him over to the Captain’s chair. “We’ve been contacted by the planet you just recently visited to rescue Poe and Lt. Connix. Put this on.” Leia handed him a black shirt and Ben pulled it over the light tan one he was wearing. “We’re going to need you to answer the call. Remember, we’re playing supreme leader. And we’ll type what we want you to say on here, just try not to make it look too obvious that you’re reading.”

Ben sat down in the captain’s chair and leaned his elbow on the armrest, casually. “Pull it up.” He nodded to the one behind the communications panel. On a large screen on the bridge a reptilian face was projected. “Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.” The face bowed his head and crossed an arm over his chest. “It is my pleasure to inform you that your takeover of the planet Falleen was a success. All remaining loyalists are under arrest, and the citizens are excited to be under your rule again.”

Ben looked around him in shock. He remembered hearing that they were starting to take over the city when he left, but he imagined it wouldn’t be long before their rebellion was defeated. Nothing came on his screen to say next. Leia and one of the other commanders were arguing, so Ben improvised. “Send me a full list of all prisoners. I will be sending you procedure changes and new laws very soon. No one is to be executed until I give the ruling. Oh, and welcome to the new empire.”

The reptilian smiled at this, and bowed his head again. “Yes, sir. Your excellency I am sending the lists right now. We shall await your rulings.” he bowed his head again and held it down. In a moment he slowly raised his head, then seeing the supreme leader still on his screen, bowed it again.

“Close it.” Ben finally whispered to the guy at the comm panel. That’s when he finally pushed the button and it disappeared.

“What. You make the call, you close the call, it’s polite.” The guy said to those around him, defending his inactivity.

“No one ends a comm on the Supreme Leader,” Ben added behind the man, making him jump again.

“Meeting in the conference room in 20 minutes,” Leia said before Ben could leave the Bridge.

When Ben arrived in the conference room he was glad to see Rey was asked to attend this meeting, and he sat next to her.

Leia began the meeting. “We have our first world under our control already. Now to decide what to do with it.”

“We should have them set up a counsel to govern. It’ll make the easiest transition to a republic when we’ve won the war.” One of them suggested.

“No, we need them to think they’re under the rule of Kylo Ren, that way any good tidings they tell other planets about are attributed to him, and thus to our rule,” suggested another.

“And the First Order needs to think it’s really him in charge,” said a third.

“But then how are we any better than the First Order?” said the first man again.

Leia stood up, “We still need to gather information from them to rule. We’ll set up a counsel, and have them suggest what laws their people need. We tell them to send their recommendations to the Supreme Leader and he will approve and disapprove laws as he sees fit.” At this suggestion, everyone in the room was nodding in approval. “Now we need to solve another problem with our nav-computer. Rose will you please explain the problem.

“Yes, General.” Rose stood up. “First order ships are designed to use the First Order Database for a number of it’s systems. Including navigation. Now, we do have a few nav points in our computers so we can get around from system to system, but to properly navigate the galaxy we’ll need more.”

Leia then continued, “Word is, there is a junk dealer who’s got an older nav computer that we can take and update, but we’ll need to negotiate him into a deal. His name is Unkar Plutt, and he’s from Jakku. Rey, I understand you are familiar with him.” Rey silently nodded. “Would you be willing to travel to Jakku and negotiate on our behalf?”

Rey sat silent a minute, almost frozen, before she nodded. “Yes, I’ll do it.”

“I’ll go with her,” Ben said with conviction.

“No, we’ll need you here to deal with the Falleen’s,” Leia said quickly. Ben looked cross, but he did not argue.

“I’d volunteer, if I weren’t grounded.” Poe put in, and Leia silenced him with a very pointed look.

“Not back to Jakku. Anywhere but Jakku!” Finn said, when he felt others looking at him.

“I’ll put together a team to go with you Rey,” Leia said, ending the conversation.

“General, what about the prisoners taken by the Falleen, are there any of them that can help our navigation issues?” asked Lt. Connix.

“We have received and reviewed the list of captured prisoners. There are one hundred stormtroopers and twenty four lower ranking officers. No one who knows anything about navigation.”

“There wouldn’t be. Falleen is one of those places where officers consider it a punishment to be stationed.”

“That’s true, but I understand there are a few mines there. We can use them to refuel. Along with several factories, which we can have build us supplies.” Poe was ever eager to point out the positive.

“But the people have been under a totalitarian rule for years. Their poor and uneducated masses work under pitiable conditions in said factories and mines.” Lt. Connix pointed out.

Poe squinted and gave her a ‘What are you doing,’ look. Then he crossed his arms defiantly.

“I look to you two to strategize ways of improving conditions for the Falleen, while still getting the supplies we need,” ruled Leia.

Later that day Ben walked with Rey to the falcon, which she’d be taking to Jakku. The trip would take her a number of hours just to get there, so she’d be gone a day or two depending on how stubborn the old junk dealer would be. She was quiet on the way there, but he mostly just attributed it to her being deep in thought.

“What are you thinking,” Ben tried.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just trying to plan what to say to him,”

“You can convince him of anything.” Then before she walked up the boarding ramp, he leaned over and tentatively put his arms around her for a hug. Rey just stood still, neither pulling away nor reaching forward.

When Ben released her from the hug, he stepped back and looked at who was boarding with her. He didn’t know any of them really well. One was a young fighter. Ben remembered that he still struggled with his blaster aim, and had limited skills with other weapons. Another one had a personality more like a politician, she had done very little training with fieldwork, though she had an ok aim with her blaster. The third he had only seen behind a computer or handheld tablet screen. Always crunching numbers. Ben was about to turn and find his mother again, when he saw Chewy boarding the Falcon too. ‘He’s likely just going as the pilot, but at least if things get desperate, he’ll keep her safe,’ Ben thought to himself.

The rest of that day Ben spent divided between training and research. He wanted to learn what he could about Falleen, so he could govern them appropriately. Even if he was just approving and vetoing suggestions by their council. That day Rey was due to arrive back within the hour before dinner time. The negotiations were successful, according to her comm. Ben was just about to go wait for her, when his mom cornered him in the training room.

“Come, I need you to sign a few things,” Leia said.

Ben followed her down to an office and sat down, where she placed pads in front of him. “What am I signing.” Ben tried to read but all he got out was a bunch of legalese.

“These are the newest laws you will be signing into effect for Falleen. This one establishes an elected council that will report to us. This one gives the people a day off, to celebrate your victory there. And this one sets a work limit to 40 hrs a week in the factories. It also sets a minimum wage.”

“Aren’t I the Supreme Leader? Shouldn’t I be a part of making these laws?”

Leia looked Ben in the eye, “You didn’t really think we’d let you make all these decisions for yourself, did you. I’ve established a council to make the legal decisions. When we are able to, we will invite an elected Falleen representative to be on this counsel… Before they know it, the galaxy will be under diplomatic rule again, we’ve planned it out extensively.”

Ben huffed, then signed the documents obediently. “Anything else?”

“No, your excellency.” Leia quipped.

On his way out Ben felt a rush of frustration.

“What’s the matter,” came a familiar voice. When Ben looked for its source he recognized the force ghost of Anakin Skywalker, his grandfather.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just being treated like a figurehead in my own empire,” Ben answered.

“Is it your empire?” Ben turned around to glare at Anakin. “Hmm, is it?”

“No, but it should be. It would be if Hux hadn’t...” Ben stopped short.

“Why do you think it should be? Do you think you have some governing skills all the others put together don’t have?”

“I’m your grandson. Vader’s grandson.”

“A man who was not able to be his own Master till the day he died. Not much to go on there.” Anakin sounded casual, like he was talking about someone else.

“A man feared throughout the galaxy! Respected by everyone!” Ben shouted at Anakin.

“A man feared by his own children!” Anakin shouted back. Then quietly, he continued, “Respected by no one.”

This seemed to steal Ben’s voice. He stuttered for a minute, but he could not think of a responding argument.

He didn’t know what else to do so he rushed to the hanger to wait for Rey’s arrival.

There he wasn’t the only one waiting for Rey. Rose and Finn had taken off of whatever their tasks were, and were waiting for her too. Ben felt a touch of jealousy having them there. He wanted to have Rey all to himself that evening. Though he had to admit, at least it meant he didn’t have to stand there on his own.

Ben walked up to Finn, who was carrying a basket with him. “Hi Ben,” Finn greeted.

“Finn and I were planning on going and finding a quiet corner on this ship and having dinner there. We were wondering if you and Rey would like to join us?” invited Rose.

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of food packed,” Finn added.

Ben thought it sounded like a good idea. Rey had been in hyperspace for a while, and she might appreciate not having to go to a cafeteria full of people, and just being able to relax with those she was familiar with. “Yes, It sounds like a good idea.” Rose smiled, and shared a look with Finn.

The Falcon arrived a few moments after that. When Rey stepped off of the shuttle, she tried to give everyone a smile, but they could tell she was tired, as it wasn’t a genuine smile.

Finn explained to her their idea about a picnic, while Rose and Ben looked at her eagerly.

“Alright,” Rey responded, placatingly.

The others chose a corner in the engine room, which was quiet only because the white noise from the ship’s engine drowned out all other noise. But Ben didn’t object, and he helped Finn spread a tablecloth on the floor, for them to eat off of.

“So, Rey. What was it like, going back after so long away?” asked Rose, part way through their meal.

“Oh, It was fine, I guess. I’d go into more detail, but I don’t think Finn wants to hear any more about Jakku,” teased Rey.

“No, please. No more Jakku. I crash landed there, and almost died of the heat, walking to town. I don’t know how you lived there so long.”

After their meal, as Rey said goodnight to everyone, Ben reached an arm around her waist to pull her in for a hug, but as soon as he touched her back, Rey flinched and pulled away. Ben simply dropped his arm. He knew he was crossing new grounds giving her a hug, but he thought after the day before, she’d be ok with it.

When Rey had gone, Rose turned to Ben and asked, “Is something wrong with Rey?”

“You’ve noticed it too?” Ben felt thankful to have Rose there. He took back all he had thought about not needing friend’s because he was just relieved to have her confirm what he’d been suspecting all evening. Rey hadn’t said much that evening, only really answering, or deflecting direct questions.

“Yes, maybe going back to Jakku caused her more stress than we realize,” Rose theorized.

“I don’t know. I mean, she was pretty set on going back there when we first left,” Finn pointed out.

“No, that was because she was still waiting for her parents to return,” said Ben.

“Since then she’s accepted that they’re not coming back for her, and that they probably wouldn’t be people you’d want coming back for you anyway. She’s come a long way. I’ll try and see if she wants to talk about it tomorrow,” offered Rose.

“Thank you Rose. You’re a good friend, to us both,” Ben said.

Back in the quiet corner of the other relm, Force ghost Luke ran in to join the others who were already gathered. “I’ve got good news. Our boy is ready to admit that having friends is a good thing.”

“And I can’t tell if he accepted my word about his rule, but he at least ran out of arguments for it. We’re wearing him down.” Anakin patted his son’s shoulder.

“Not good enough, I fear. Still rising, the tidal wave is.” Yoda put in.

“But we handled everything.” Anakin was looking distressed.

“Not everything. Missed something important, we must have,” said Yoda.

The others looked around with fear and shock in their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I wrote this chapter intentionally with certain themes, and I think they got through, but I have a head cold now, so what do I know. The next chapter will have to do with Rey's backstory, and Child abuse will be referred to. Just a warning.
> 
> Anyways, Let me know what you think. If I made any blaring typos that need to be fixed.
> 
> Oh, and I originally wrote the species of reptilians to be just something from my own head, but then I did some reading, and they seemed consistent with the Falleen, so I decided to make them that. But I don't know a lot about them except what was in Wookieepedia, so if I missed anything obvious just let me know.


	30. Chapter 30 - Shared Cognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: The force ghosts attempt to prevent an impending force-bond trouble by helping Ben resolve his issues and move on from his lost empire. Anakin even appears to Ben to discuss the whole legacy thing. Ben, meanwhile learns he will just be a figurehead with no real power in the pseudo empire the resistance is trying to build. Rey had to go back to Jakku to negotiate with Unkar Plutt to purchase something, and her friends notice, when she gets back, she’s behaving a bit differently. Yoda announced that the force ghosts were unsuccessful in preventing the force-bond trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: This chapter features a brief description of memories of sexual assault. No graphic descriptions are used, it’s T-rated, but may trigger traumatic memories for those who have them.

Chapter 30

The next morning Ben wakes up and begins his morning routine, which involves doing a number of sit-ups and push-ups to fully wake up his muscles.

That morning Rey wakes up and looks around surprised for a second. Then she remembers where she is, and she takes in a sigh of relief. It is her first morning since moving onto the Zealot’s Vindication. Her mind is strangely busy. Numbers seem to keep floating into her head for some reason. Rey is just glad she got any sleep at all. Every noise the ship made last night seemed to demand her full attention.

As Ben does his twenty-fifth push-up a thought comes to his mind. ‘ _At least_ _the thermal regulator finally stopped gushing at oh-three-hundred hours._ ’ Which seems odd to Ben, because he doesn’t remember hearing any gushing. He slept well through the night, as he recalls. He was used to sleeping on ships like this. Still, he finishes his push-ups, then turns to pick out his clothes. Instead he gets a mental image of Rey and her usual thin desert outfit. Still he pushes it aside to choose his own outfit.

Rey is looking at her clothes, almost prepared to wear her usual gown when a thought comes to her, ‘ _No, shouldn’t wear that, space is cold_.’ So instead she takes one of the warmer outfits Leia had given her for her trip and decides to wear it instead. Next Rey remembers the room she has on the dreadnought has its own bathroom.

Ben starts to get mental images in his mind of a naked Rey. He isn’t exactly trying to, this time, and he knows these thoughts will not be helpful if he happens to see her during breakfast. He sits down and tries to clear it out of his mind with meditation, only whatever he does, his mind just won’t clear. So he tries to do the opposite. He uses an old trick his father taught him when he was going through puberty.

Mid way through taking a shower Rey’s mind floods with thoughts about spaceship engines. ‘ _Thermal C-clamp connects to the Vintral_ _Mechanization Port._ _Which fits into the Rus-T X-box with the B-Nix flap up_.’

‘ _Flap Down.’_ Rey feels the need to correct herself in her mind. Even though she is unsure of where the thoughts about spaceship engines are coming from. She dries herself off and puts on the outfit she picked out earlier. The thoughts continue until she is dressed and standing in front of her mirror.

Relieved to finally have the images out of his mind, not that he altogether minded the images, Ben stops thinking about spaceship engines. ‘ _Rey really is pretty,’_ Ben thinks to himself.

When that thought comes to Rey’s mind she nearly jumps out of her skin. ‘ _That thought wasn’t mine. Who’s was it? Who’s in my head?’_

Ben feels confused when that thought comes to him. ‘ _No,_ _i_ _t was my thought._ _No one’s in my head. I would’ve felt the intrusion.’_

‘ _I am Rey, and I don’t casually think thoughts about how beautiful I am. Ben is that you?’_ Rey’s thoughts guess. She doesn’t have any reason to say it was Ben, but being the only other force-wielder around, she’d hate to think of any alternatives.

Ben starts to feel shame and embarrassment, but suppresses it and embraces his curiosity instead. ‘ _Yes, Rey! How is this? Can you hear all my thoughts, or just some of them? Hold on. Try now.’_ Ben uses the force to block his mind, the way he blocked Snoke from seeing more than he wanted him to see. He then thinks something random: ‘ _Blue, Square,_ _Blutfish_ _.”_

In a moment Rey thinks back her answer. “ _Blue, Square,_ _Blutfish_ _? What are you getting at? Just get out of my head!’_

‘ _I’m not doing this on purpose. And apparently I can’t even block you out of my head.’_

‘ _What are we going to do? I can’t get through my day with your thoughts running through my head.’_

‘ _Like I want your thoughts in my head. I don’t know. We could go to my mom. She might know what to do.’_ Ben feels childish suggesting they go to his mom, but he doesn’t have any better ideas.

‘ _Alright, meet you up there in ten minutes.’_

‘ _What do you need ten minutes for? You’re already dressed!’_

‘ _My hair!’_ Rey’s mental voice sounds like she’s going over the obvious.

‘ _Fine, in ten_.’ Ben’s mind sighs.

Leia throws her robe on, and goes to answer her door. She doesn’t know why she tried to sleep in, expecting they’d be able to get by the morning without her aid, but she obviously was wrong. Her door alarm is ringing constantly. “Oh, I’m coming.” she uselessly tells it. Her head is splitting with a headache.

As she opens the door, Ben and Rey nearly fall into her room, surprising Leia. “Ben, Rey, what is this about?”

“Mom, uh…” Ben seems shocked to some kind of silence, as he and Rey eye each other with intention. “I’m getting to that... No… Uh go ahead.”

“Ben and I can… I was about to… Ug, go on then!” Rey sounds agitated.

“You are hearing each other’s thoughts.” Leia is starting to make connections, and she suspects this will take forever if she doesn’t speak up.

“Yes,” both of them answer simultaneously.

“Come inside.” Leia leaves the door open and steps back into her room.

“Have you tried blocking?” Leia suggests.

“No,” Ben says sarcastically. “This isn’t my first day with the force. Yes, I tried blocking and it didn’t work.” Ben huffs.

“What about meditation?” Leia asks.

“I can’t meditate when she’s filling my head with… thoughts.”

“I’m filling your head! I’m not the one who keeps reciting random facts about spaceship engines.” Rey turns to Ben, lifting her arm to wave at him in anger.

Ben, finding Rey’s angry face stimulating in a way he’d rather not be with her in his head, not to mention his mother in the room, goes back to the ship engine thoughts. ‘ _Ricitator connects to the B-Valve_.’

“Ug, you’re doing it again!” Rey places her hands over her head in a futile attempt to block the thoughts.

Leia then gives Ben a look like she knows more about what happened than she saw. “Inconvenient.”

“You’re telling me.” Rey pulls her hands off her temple.

“I mean to suggest both of you meditating at the same time,” says Leia.

“Do you think that will stop this?” Rey asks.

“Probably not, but it may give you some peace and quiet,” Leia answers.

“Isn’t there anything else? You’ve gotta get him out of my head?” Rey insists, and she and Ben look up at Leia with pleading eyes.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do. I will talk to your Uncle about this. I usually see his ghost form around now. Go. Meditate, then try working one task at a time. Go slow. I’ll get back to you if I learn anything.” Leia pushes Rey and Ben out of her room. Then she goes to get one of those pills the medical droid gave her, to help with her headache.

Swallowing the pill she looks up in the room and speaks again. “Luke. Did you hear any of that?”

“All of it,” his voice seems to come out of nowhere. “Yoda predicted the next force bond would have a big impact. I will discuss this with the others, but I fear the chance to stop it has already passed. We can only wait for the wave to crash ashore.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” Giving up on sleeping in, Leia goes to get ready for her day.

Rey and Ben find a quiet corner and both manage to meditate for about twenty minutes. Ben, being more experienced, could’ve done longer, but Rey has trouble focusing for even that long, and he decides not to push her. They both feel better having had a little time with their heads quiet, anyways.

Next Ben tries giving Rey another reading lesson, only whenever she tries to sound out the letters, Ben can’t help but read the word in his mind. This doesn’t go over well. “Ben, I know you can’t help it, but I’m not learning anything with you reading it in my mind.”

After they give that up, Ben and Rey split up for the rest of the morning. Rey goes to the maintenance bay to help Rose with some repair work, while Ben is summoned to attend another meeting.

“Hey Rey,” Rose interrupts her work. “I’ve been meaning to ask. How did it go, you going back to Jakku.”

“It was fine, Rose.” Rey sighs.

“I just ask, because you seemed, you know, different yesterday. I was wondering if going back brought up memories or anything like that.”

Rey sighs again. “You know, now just isn’t the time. I’ve got Ben’s thoughts running through my head today, for some reason.”

“You can hear his thoughts!” Rose says, easily distracted.

“Yup, and he can hear mine too, so we should probably keep gossip to a minimum.” Rey jokes.

“Ok, but I just heard a good one, about the girl who serves caf,” Rose jokes back. “Can you just hear thoughts, or can you see what he sees too?”

“Mostly just if he has a strong mental image in his mind. Like now, he keeps picturing Poe in a baby bonnet for some reason. Oh, he’s being childish, insisting things go his way in their meeting. And you’re getting bored listening to him whine.” Rey says almost as if Ben is in the room.

“Interesting,” Rose says, and her eyes are swimming through thoughts that she doesn’t put to words. “Sounds like he could use a distraction then. Get me that hydrospanner, and I’ll tell you what I heard about the girl who serves caf…”

And that is how they spend the rest of their morning. Rose never did bring up Jakku again.

‘Rey, we’re taking a break for lunch. Where are you?’ Ben’s thoughts come to Rey.

“Rose, do you want to grab lunch now?” Rey calls up to Rose. Rose had climbed onto a shuttle to repair the roof of an x-wing.

“Yeah, Sounds good.” Rose calls back down.

‘We’ll be heading down in a little bit,’ Rey sends the thought back to Ben.

In the mess hall Ben, Poe, and Finn are already seated, so Rey and Rose go to get their food in the line. Finn had listened to Ben describe the current state of the bond with rapt attention, and he sits watching Ben’s eyes react as he listens to Rey’s thoughts as she and Rose chat.

“You gotta admit, that kind of situation would be useful.” Poe says to Finn, pointing at the distracted Ben. “I mean, to know what goes on inside a woman’s head. It has it’s uses.”

“I think there are some things I’d rather not know.” Finn sheepishly responds.

“Yes, especially when she hears everything you think.” Ben adds.

Poe turns to get up, “Just think about it boys. You’d know what she wants, whenever she wants it.” He then flashes a sly smile and walks over to the line of food to grab another drink.

Ben and Finn just look at each other and shake their heads.

Ben is watching Rey in line to get her food, half listening to Finn beside him drone on about this or that, and half listening to Rey debate her food choices. He sees Poe turn towards Rey in the Cafeteria line. He says some dumb joke, which Ben doesn’t hear, but he hears Rey’s reactions to it. Then Poe reaches out and places his hand on Rey’s arm, giving her a wink. Rey freezes, uncomfortable with the contact.

Immediately Ben’s mind flashes with a hazy memory of Rey’s. His vision is blurry from her tears. She’s being held down and someone’s sliding his hand over her…

‘No.’ Ben’s thoughts turn dark. He jumps out of his seat and runs to the cafeteria line, where he uses a force push to throw Poe into the wall behind the food tables. Ben runs over to where Poe landed. His mind is a hazy red whirlwind of anger and rage, as he picks up Poe and prepares to strangle him. He isn’t even sure if he is using the force or his hands to squeeze him.

“Ben, No!” Rey is shouting beside him, but Ben can barely hear her above his rage. “It wasn’t him!” Her voice breaks as she cries this. Ben turns to look her in the eye. Poe, who’s still being held up, looks at her as well.

Images begin appearing in his mind of a tall Crolute with a permanent snarl for a face and limbs thick and ugly reaching down. A breath that smells like some of the worst seafood fills the air as he breaths on her.

Tears form in Rey’s eyes as she shows him her memory. Then Ben is filled with a new rage. Only he has no target in the immediate vicinity. He drops Poe and turns to run out of the mess hall, and down the corridor.

A second later Rey bolts out another door in the room and runs a whole different direction. Then the collective of the room seem to let out the breath they had been holding in, as they react to the event that just took place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks, I began writing this chapter and haphazardly found myself using present tense, so after correcting myself, I decided to go back to my initial instinct and make it present tense all the way through. I think it gives it a feel of immediacy that seems right for the chapter, but I’ll let you guys judge if it works or not.
> 
> The chapter begins with some hopefully humorous situations, then ends with a very serious situation. I hope it doesn’t color the humorous parts bad, because it’s ok to laugh at some parts of a story and not at others.
> 
> I finished this chapter on Wednesday, but decided to hold onto it a couple more days to give it the extra attention I felt it deserved. Thank you everyone who has been leaving their comments/reviews. I enjoy reading them, and will love to read your thoughts on this chapter, too.


	31. Chapter 31 - Rey's Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey and Ben wake to find their bond is allowing them to share thoughts now. All thoughts. Rey then has a traumatic memory triggered which makes Ben feel defensive and angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: This is a serious chapter that talks about past child abuse and sexual assault. No graphic details are given, again T rated. But she does recount her story. It includes a few manipulative behaviors her abuser used. 

Chapter 31

Poe gasped, catching his breath as his mind replayed recent events to try and make sense of them. He had gone back to the line to grab another Atzerri Cola. Seeing Rey and Rose in line behind some new poultry dish the chef must be experimenting with, he took the time to say hello. “Ben told us about your new psychic connection. I’ve always wondered what lewd thoughts go through a dark-sider’s head.” Of course Rey simply folded her arms, and rolled her eyes. Rey, of all the girls on base, never seemed to get any of his jokes, but that never stopped him. “Still, if you have any questions, need something explained, I’m your guy.” Poe reached out to touch her arm, leaning closer to her ear to whisper a dirty joke that just occurred to him. He gave her a sly wink, then pulled away.

Rey’s reaction was not what he expected. Though from her, he supposed it was typical. He recognized the tightening muscles that once preceded her thrashing him. But that was a long time ago, before they got to know each other, and he figured he deserved that thrashing then. But they knew each other better now. She knew he only meant to be friendly. Still he instinctively dropped his hand to his side.

It was too late, however, as her bond-mate stormed over. Poe didn’t see what pushed him, but he was thrown into a wall before he could turn to face his attacker. His head crashed against the corner of the drink machine. When he again opened his eyes he looked into seething rage. Kylo Ren was staring at him with dark eyes that seemed like deep bottomless pits. He now preferred the masked knight of Ren to this man standing in front of him. Only this time there was no torture. No mind tricks to get information. Kylo didn’t have a hand on him, though Poe could feel something around his neck, squeezing the precious air out of his lungs.

Rey and Finn stood beside him screaming for him to stop, but the man didn’t move. Then Rey cried something that did get him to turn his head a quarter spin. Tears were pouring out of her eyes. She stared at Kylo or Ben for several seconds, while Poe could feel the hold on his neck loosen slowly. Then Poe was dropped to the floor again, without care, as Ben stormed out of the room. Rose tried to put her hands out to comfort Rey, but Rey shoved her off, and turned running for the exit, with tears streaming down her face.

Finn and Rose took a second together before taking action. His arm was around her hip, as she pulled close to him with shock and worry still on her face. Then she looked up at him with a pointed expression. “Go after her,” he said, before Rose ran off in the direction Rey had just gone.

Finn was with Poe in a second. He reached down and pulled him up, placing a hand on his back and studying him to make sure he was breathing. “Are you alright?”

Poe nodded, his breaths still catching up to him.

“Good. Come, we should follow him.” Finn seemed adamant that Poe go with him.

“What! That man just nearly killed me! Why should I go after him?”

“Because he needs help now. And because you started it. What did you say to her to get him so upset?”

“You know, I can’t really remember,” Poe lied. He didn’t really want his stoic friend to call him out on being stupid for telling a girl a dirty joke when her boyfriend has a psychic connection with her.

Finn gave him a disapproving shake of the head anyway. “Come on, lets go.”

Poe had been dragged by Finn across half the ship. “Finn, wait up. Just how do you plan on finding our favorite dark-sider on a ship this large on foot. Now if we’d gone back to my office, like I suggested, and looked at my computer...”

Finn didn’t respond, but kept walking. They entered the hanger and walked down through the isle of ships, mostly x-wings. Then Finn stopped. They could hear cries coming from inside the Resistance’s only Tie.

Poe tried unsuccessfully to protest as Finn opened the shuttle’s door. Inside, the ship was in tatters. The joystick used to steer was ripped right off, several controls appeared pounded out of existence, and the burnt scent of lightsaber burns against the leather seating filled the air.

There cowering on the floor, looking weaker than he’d ever seen him, was the man who’d no doubt make an appearance in at least one of Poe’s upcoming nightmares.

“Go away,” Ben barked.

It didn’t scare Finn though. Poe was beginning to suspect that nothing scared Finn. “Come, you look like you need to hit something.” Finn reached down and pulled the sad man up. He put an arm behind him and walked him out of the shuttle.

“Where are we going?” Poe questioned.

“Training room,” Finn answered. “We’ll find something there for us to hit. Then we’ll sit down, have a drink, and talk about it.”

Ben turned to eye Finn, and it looked like he was going to protest probably the last part of the plan. But he didn’t protest. No, when Finn tapped his back, urging him to keep walking, he obeyed.

Leia was in the small room she claimed as her office when Lt. Connix came running in. “General, It’s Kylo... Ben.” Leia looked up anxious. It had been a while since they’d let that name slip. She knew it must be serious. She dropped the half a sandwich someone had fetched for her, and stood up as Connix continued. “He snapped, nearly killed Poe.”

“What happened?” Leia sounded flabbergasted. She thought Ben was making real progress, and she didn’t expect a violent outburst at all.

“I don’t know. Poe said something to Rey, then Ben just stormed over and started choking him. She only got him to stop with the words ‘It wasn’t him.’” Connix recounted.

“Oh boy...” Leia had her suspicions what that meant. She had suspicions ever since the first time Rey beat up Poe for putting his hands on her. She just couldn’t get the girl to tell her anything.

Connix shifted her gaze, “Rey is safe. He didn’t hurt her. She looked very upset by it though.”

“Poor thing,” Leia added. “Where are they now?”

Connix eyed her datapad. “Ben is in the training room now. Poe and Finn are there with him.” Connix looked up, surprised by this.

“And where is Rey?”

“She’s in her quarters,” Connix said after glancing back at the datapad.

Leia left in a hurry. Inside the turbolift she paused for a second, debating which way to go. On the one side she had her motherly instincts telling her to go check on her boy. If her instincts are correct, it means their bond must have showed him… “What a tidal wave,” Leia said to herself. But then she also had another side to her, one that felt for Rey, and wanted to go comfort her too. Which instinct should she follow?

“Take this down.” Finn instructed Poe.

As Poe ripped the thrashed training dummy down and threw it into the corner of the supply room, he looked down at the three others lying there. It was all the proof his fears needed to bubble out of his chest. Poe tapped them down and then grabbed the next new dummy and carried it out.

Finn was beside the besotted Ben. Each time, trying to get him to talk. Each time only getting grunts in response.

They pulled it up and Ben started thrashing at the new dummy again, as Finn and Poe both stepped back to give him space.

A door opened and in stepped Leia. They stood a moment watching Ben. At first Ben didn’t notice, but then he turned slightly, acknowledging her presence, before he continued punching the dummy. Finn stepped out to have a private word with her. They both left Poe standing near the door, watching Ben.

“Has he said anything?” She asked.

“Not yet.” Finn said, putting his hand through his hair. “Do you want to give it a try?”

Leia thought for a moment. “No, I think in this situation, he’d rather talk to a guy then his uh, mom. Do you know what’s going on?”

“He told us about them sharing thoughts. Part of that weird bond. I don’t know what made him snap though.”

Leia nodded. “I have my suspicions about what happened, but I’m gonna have to talk with Rey to confirm them. I’ll go see her now. Keep trying. Hopefully he’ll open up to you soon.”

For Ben and Rey their bond became a whirlwind of negative thoughts immediately after they both left the mess hall. ‘ _It’s all my fault.’ ‘I’m useless, I can’t do anything.’ ‘I’m unlovable.’ ‘I ought_ _to_ _rip his heart out.’ ‘I’m not worth anything.’_ They spun around and around, neither party being sure which were their own. It all seemed like it would never end. Ben had tried to take off, and go after the Crolute from Jakku. How many could there be on a desert world? He planned on destroying every last one. Only his emotions caused him to rip too hard at the joystick, and the ship was useless within seconds. Rey sat down on the floor at the foot of her bed and cried.

“Rey...Rey...Open up, please.” Rose knelt by her door. There was no response from within. As Leia walked up, Rose stood, dusting herself off. “General.”

“Let me try.” Rose moved aside as Leia walked up to the door. She pressed the buzzer. “Rey, dear, please open up. This is Leia. I just want to talk to you.”

Immediately the door slid open and a tear stricken Rey appeared behind it. “I’m so sorry,” she cried.

Leia reached out to her and defiantly said, “No. _None_ of this is your fault.”

Across the bond, Rey felt the torrent of negative thoughts slow down. ‘She’s right. Thank you mom.’

“But… He was going to kill Poe. And all because I… It was my fault. Don’t blame him. It was my fault.”

“It was NOT your fault. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to kill Poe. I want to kill him at least four times a week, to be honest. But he didn’t, and that is all thanks to you. I will hear nothing more about this being your fault.” Leia’s eyes were sincere to every word.

Across the ship, Finn noticed Ben stop punching the latest dummy, even though there was still life left in it. He hung his head, and looked forlorn at the floor. Finn took this as a signal and stepped up. “Come, let’s have that drink now.” He led Ben to the attached pool room, and to the included Bar. The resistance had redecorated it with an Ilohian theme, what with an iridescent counter, sand colored posts, and seashells everywhere. It would have irritated Ben, but he was too distracted now to notice. There was a droid behind the bar that poured them drinks.

Ben took the drink and just stared at it.

Poe cleared his throat. “I wanted to tell you, that there never has been anything between me and Rey. Never has, never will.”

Ben didn’t blink.

“And it isn’t the end of the world, a woman having thoughts about another guy. I’ve been with lots of women with experience. And I’ll tell you personally…” Poe was going to say something about what gets an engine purring and enjoying the ride, but the look on Ben’s face made him stop in his tracks.

“It wasn’t… It wasn’t what you’re thinking.” Ben pushed the unsipped drink away from him.

A thought from Rey came strongly to his mind, backed by fear. ‘ _Don’t tell. PLEASE Ben, don’t tell_.’

Rey stepped back, distracted by her pleading with Ben, as Leia took advantage and stepped into her room, followed by Rose. Leia pushed aside the piles of laundry that stood on the one chair in the room, then took a seat. Rose pulled the distracted Rey over to the bed.

It was then that Ben responded to Rey. ‘ _Then you tell. Rey,_ _p_ _lease, you have to tell.’_ This brought fresh tears to Rey’s eyes.

Leia reached over and handed Rey a handkerchief. Then she just looked Rey in the eye, saying nothing, but an unspoken ‘ _I’m listening._ ’

“On Jakku, Unkar Plutt is the only junk boss who’ll trade portions for scavenged materials and parts. When I was five he bought me from my parents. He wanted a small body to crawl into one of the crafts he’d heard about, and he wanted it cheap. When I finished that, he was finished with me. I started scavenging then because it was all I knew of to survive, and I figured if my parents had second thoughts, they’d come to look for me with him.

His deals were unfair and very meager most of the time. But when I got older, something changed. He’d give me better deals, and I even caught one of his thugs defending me from some would be attacker once. He tried to talk to me every time I went to trade, but I was still scorning him for his earlier bad deals. Not to mention him separating me from my parents. I hated him. But then he’d take away his favorable deals if I didn’t talk to him. I had to. I was starving. One day he pulled me into his hut. One of his thugs barred the door, while he…

Leia didn’t wait any longer. She reached forward and hugged Rey, letting her cry on her shoulder. Rose stroked Rey’s back.

“So you weren’t jealous of another man… You were defending her.” Finn thought out loud.

Ben was so distracted by Rey digging up these memories that he didn’t really hear Finn. But Poe did, and he looked questioningly at Finn.

“It wasn’t him...” Finn quoted.

“Someone else… Hurt Rey.” Poe’s eyes went wide with the realization. “Who?” Poe turned to Ben.

“A dead man walking.” Ben growled out. Then tears appeared in the corners of Ben’s eyes. He tried to hold them back and to straighten his face, but was unsuccessful. “If I wasn’t so useless.”

“The ship...” Poe thought out loud. “Yeah, they’ve been under lock down since you got here.” Poe swiped his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture as he was talking. “The General didn’t want you running off in the middle of the night or nothing.”

“That isn’t your responsibility. Hear me.” Finn positioned himself to look Ben in the eyes. “Rey needs you here, now. As she deals with this. You can be strong for her. And you can tell her how you feel about her. Sometimes women need to hear those things, even when they’re obvious.”

It was then that Rey was hugging Leia. Ben heard a stray thought from her mind. ‘I don’t deserve this.’

That was when Ben opened up and shared every thought about Rey he’d been hiding throughout the day, and more. He pictured the cute way she giggled over her breakfast cereal, the way she made his heart beat faster whenever he saw her, and the way he feels impressed by her when she masters things that took him years to learn. He thought of the way his stomach churned whenever they’d get close to touching. And what she looks like when she’s practicing with her lightsaber…

Rey cried harder, under the torrent of thoughts from Ben. She had never felt so much love, between the nonverbal gestures of Leia and Rose, and Ben’s very loud mental words. ‘ _Rey, you deserve every bit of this._ _I…_ ’ Then suddenly the thoughts stopped.

“Ben!” Rey pulled away from Leia and looked around in fear. “Ben! I can’t hear him.”

“That was our doing,” said one of three Bluish ghosts that appeared in the corner of the room. The speaker, an old man Rey had seen once before, when he pleaded with her and Ben to help Luke and Anakin with their argument. The two of them were also present, standing on either side of the speaker. “But don’t worry. We’ve discovered that elements of the bond between you can be used voluntarily. Now that the Force has taught you how to communicate telepathically, you will be able to do so again. Go ahead, try again.”

Rey’s thoughts became very loud in her own mind. ‘ _Ben_...’ It was met with only silence.

“Focus.” Then the old man lifted his hand towards her, and she suddenly heard his voice in her mind too. _‘Feel the way the force moves as I do this. Now replicate.’_

Rey tried again. ‘ _Rey… Rey… Where are you Rey_?’ She was met with the panicked thoughts of Ben, and she smiled laughing.

‘ _Ben, it’s ok. I’m still here. I’ve got a lot to show you,’_ she responded.

“You can replicate a lot of the other bond activity in much the same way.” Anakin said. “Even that body switching thing.”

“I thought we agreed not to mention the experiments on…” whispered Luke.

“I didn’t.” Anakin whispered back.

Leia laughed. “Keep them out of trouble, Obi Wan.”

“Always...Always and forevermore…” Obi Wan mumbled as he took hold of the other two and disappeared from this relm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone. I apologize, I know that chapter was very serious, but it needed to happen. Anyways, I tried to give it a warm, happy ending, so hopefully you're not too mad. I know there is a lot of controversy over the whole: Was Rey really a slave issue, and I hope I gave it a realistic interpretation. In the books, Rey regarded Unkar Plutt as especially gross, and that seemed to flag me as strange. Not to mention that he seemed to look at Rey lustfully, from what I remember after reading the book. Now, according to Wookieepedia, Unkar was impressed by Rey's scavenging abilities, so he had his thugs look out for her. If he tried to tell me this, I wouldn't believe him, and I'd feel an awkward feeling in my gut over it. Not to mention there's the whole buying a five year old thing. I mean, is he really that desperate for scavengers he'd buy them? I kinda got the impression they were mostly bottom of the barrel people, who had nowhere else to go. And in a universe at war, I'd imagine there'd be a lot of them. Plus how long do you expect a five year old to survive in a place like Jakku without parental support. It's thanks to Rey's strong will that she did survive. I see it as a statistical improbability that she survived at all. Therefore, what profit would a man like Unkar Plutt see to buy a five year old Rey. I could think of two, and I gave the more innocent of the two, because I didn't want to go there.
> 
> In the following chapters, though I will bring more up again, I will try t keep it lighter, I promise. They just really needed to get through this to get to the next step. Anyways, let me know in the Comments if I made any major errors, or if you don't buy any of my version of events. Thank you to all who've left comments for the last chapter. I appreciate hearing your kind supportive words, they do inspire me to keep writing. 


	32. Chapter 32 - Dead Man Walking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey tells Leia the memory that caused Ben to almost kill Poe. The Force Ghosts teach Rey how to control the bond between she and Ben, allowing them to communicate by thought only when they want to. 

Chapter 32

In the other relm, the ghosts were gathered to discuss their plans, moving forward.

“I still think it’s time for another date. This time with dancing!” exclaimed Anakin.

“And I said No! How does dancing save that boy’s soul?” Luke debated with him.

“You’ve agreed that his bond with Rey is his lifeline. Strengthen the Bond, save him.” Anakin debated back.

“But you have to admit, your lifeline is only as strong as it’s anchor.” A woman’s ghost floated through the space. She was dressed in a beautiful gown, made of silver pieces that shined and sparkled with the light of the relm. It had a headpiece that matched coming down over her shoulders and pooling at her sides. Both Anakin and Luke’s mouth’s dropped when they saw her.

“How wonderful of you to join us, Padmé.” Obi Wan Greeted her with a warm smile.

“Dear, you don’t understand the situation,” said Anakin.

“Oh, I know all about the situation. Ahsoka filled me in. And if you had bothered to ask me sooner, I’d of told you. There are two people attached to this bond. You’ve been ignoring one while focusing on the other. Yes, he’s our grandson and the trouble patient. But this girl needs our attention too. As recent events made clear,” Padmé said.

Luke took a moment to give Anakin a satisfied smirk, before smiling at his mother. “And what do you propose we do?”

The following day, Rey was preparing in front of a mirror. She looked down anxious at her clothes. Leia had helped her the day before to pick out the outfit. It was a pink top with pieces that hung down at her sides. Rey balled one in her fist. The outfit didn’t feel right. The whole day didn’t feel right.

“You look beautiful.” Said a strange voice behind her.

Rey turned and saw Obi Wan, floating there in ghost form. “What are…” Rey was shocked to see him.

“The others have agreed that you need a mentor, and since I’ve already mentored two men from desert worlds, they figured I had a knack for it.”

“Oh.” Rey turned back to the mirror in front of her, her tension apparent in the way she held her arms out beside her.

“You do look beautiful, by every definition of the word.”

“It’s not that.” Rey looked back at him. “Leia wants me to film the holo today. My testimony.” Obi Wan nodded, listening. “I’m not worried about how I’ll look. I’m worried about what I’ll say. What they’ll all think of me.”

“Well, if Leia is using the Old Republic as her model for her new law, you’re face won’t appear on the holo recording. Only your clothes. Your identity won’t even be revealed. As to what to say, no one expects anymore than the truth.” Obi Wan walked up to Rey and seemed to put his hands on her shoulders. “You can trust them with the rest.”

“Mom! You have to let me go!” Ben stormed

“NO!” Leia was as stubborn as ever. “We are developing a system of justice.”

“Justice!”

“And I will not let you get in it’s way all for petty revenge!” Leia had her hands on her hips, and was leaning forward. She somehow seemed to be looking down on her six foot plus son, despite her lack of height.

“He deserves to die for what he did. _That’s_ justice!” Ben growled back, unintimidated.

“He will be arrested, and he will be tried in a court of law for his crimes. If I need to lock you in the brig, I will.” Leia’s voice was calm and resolute. Ben knew he’d never win the argument now. Instead he swiped the stack of papers off of her desk so they made a mess on the floor, and stormed out of the room.

In the hallway he saw Rey. She had a serious look on her face, but broke it when she saw Ben.

“Am I interrupting something?” The corners of her mouth tugged up into a smile. Rey walked up to Ben and put a hand on his chest. Ben’s heart nearly stopped. Then she stood on her tip toes and grabbed a small piece of paper from on top of Ben’s head. Ben was going to explain, but then she giggled, and his mind went to complete mush.

“I uh…” Ben sidestepped and practically ran down the hall. He knew he’d be kicking himself later for the whole thing.

Rey looked surprised at his back as he ran away. Then Leia popped out of the office. “Rey. Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around later.” Leia held out a hand and smiled at Rey. “I had Connix set up a studio we can use in another office. Come, we can walk there together.”

By the time Ben made it back to his room he was storming again. _‘How dare she!_ ’

“Your mother’s right. Justice may seem slow and less fulfilling, but for someone like Unkar Plutt, to have his dirty laundry aired out for the court, it can be a torture all the same.”

“Uncle, you don’t know torture!” Ben hated being talked down to, by the ghost of his former Jedi Master none the less.

Luke looked at him with a compassionate mournful frown. Then Ben’s door buzzed announcing someone was there. Luke’s ghost looked up, surprised by the door, then disappeared.

Ben opened his door, and stepped back in shock as Poe walked into his room.

“You still want to get to Jakku?” he whispered.

Ben closed his door before saying, “Yes.”

“Good. Then be at the hanger at oh five hundred hours, tomorrow morning.”

“Wait, How?” Ben asked confused.

“I’m on the team the general ordered to bring that Bantha spit in. I’ll put you on in place of Rex. He’s gonna be off sick tomorrow.”

“Wait,” Ben was still confused. “I thought you were off active duty after the whole Falleen thing.”

“Well, the general originally gave me a choice between two punishments. Originally the six months off active duty was the lesser of two evils, but this changes things. Rey’s a friend, and no one hurts my friends.”

“So what’s your new punishment?” Ben asked, feeling oddly appreciative of the pilot.

Poe blushed and rubbed his hair. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

That night, between his thoughts on how to do the deed, and the constant visits of his dead uncle and grandfather trying to persuade him not to, Ben didn’t get much sleep. He managed to stumble out to the hanger by quarter to five hundred hours. As he waited for Poe to arrive, he started to nod off.

“You know this doesn’t help the whole ‘tough guy’ image.” The words of Poe woke Ben in a startle. Poe then laughed, as Ben shook himself awake. Poe handed him an energy drink, then put his hand on Ben’s back. “Come on. This is my team: Snap, Jess, Karé, and Charth. Team, this is Ben. He’ll be taking Rex’s place.”

“This why you had me mix that stuff in with Rex’s drink last night,” Jess said.

“It’ll all be worth it, trust me,” said Poe. “Ok Ben, this is your ship. Experience tells me you’ll have no trouble piloting.”

Ben was just reaching out to examine his shuttle, when they could hear a shuffling sound from the hallway. Poe motioned for Ben to hide under the X-wing. Snap and Karé jumped up and ran over to hide Ben. They embraced very obviously in front of the X-wing. Though Ben knew they were posing as a distraction to keep eyes off of him, he still felt slightly uncomfortable with the view.

“Poe, the General sent me to give you this warrant.” Kaydel paused for a minute staring at the embracing couple. Then she handed Poe a datapad. Before she let go, she turned and bent to look Ben directly in the eye. “Do me a favor, will you. Make it slow.” She then turned around and left the hanger.

Later that morning, Leia stood on the Bridge, prepared to send Poe’s Black Squadron off to arrest Unkar Plutt. She hoped Ben would at least see them off, but apparently he was still sulking over not being able to join them. In her mind Leia sighed. ‘ _like father, like son. Han would sulk for days, when the situation allowed. Better not tell Ben that, though._ ’

Leia refocused. She was watching the young officer push the controls to open the hanger, and close off the other systems. None of her people had been trained to use First Order systems. It always marveled her how fast these young officers adapted to the new tech. But then she was that young once, right.

Leia refocused again as Poe was headed out the hanger bay doors. Then the whole room looked up at once, as a bump and a crash could be heard just past the doors to the Bridge. Leia ran to see what it was.

A very dizzy looking man in casual dress lay on the ground where he’d landed. “Rex!” said one of the Bridge officers who’d run out behind her. “What did you drink!” She turned to Leia. “He smells like that special liquor the pilots sometimes drink, Ma’am. I’ll take him to the medbay.”

Leia turned around and went back onto the Bridge, where she paused. “Wait, Rex, wasn’t he supposed to be on Poe’s squad. Did he file a replacement?” Leia turned to another officer. The other officer shook his head. Kaydel, shrunk back to avoid the General’s eyes, as she was not comfortable with lying, and didn’t want to get in trouble again. It didn’t work. the General’s eyes found hers. “Lieutenant. Who was in that sixth shuttle?”

Kaydel tried to hold firm, but then Leia took a step towards her, and she caved. “Ben, ma’am. Poe took Ben with him.”

Leia huffed, then turned to rush off the Bridge. If he had truly gone, she wanted to see for herself, though she knew it was too late to do anything about it.

The ride to Jakku was smooth. They land a distance from Nima Outpost and Ben looked out on the horizon. The last time Ben was here it was late at night, and he didn’t stay to admire the view. It looked just like his dream, sand was everywhere. He thought about what it must have been like for Rey to grow up here. ‘ _No wonder she loves colors so much. And plants. And life_.’

The team was making preparations for leaving their crafts, closing off ports to keep the sand out of the engines, and such. Ben learned something else from his dream too. “Lock them extra tight.” Folks around these parts were desperate for any bit of scrap to trade in, and he didn’t want their only rides being turned into said scrap.

Poe split his team and sent them to surround the Junk Boss’s hut. Ben stayed with Poe as they both made for it’s entrance. The team all had their blaster’s drawn, but Ben opted for his saber. When they got to the door, Poe banged on it and the service window opened.

Behind it a Crolute appeared. “What’s this about?”

“Unkar Plutt, I have a warrant for your arrest. Come out with your hands up, and we’ll make this easy on you,” said Poe in his most diplomatic voice.

“Boys!” Unkar Plutt pulled back from the window as a shield came down. Immediately two thugs, dressed in a ridiculous getup that could only be to conceal their identity, stepped out of another hut nearby armed with Blasters.

One shot at Poe, but Ben used the force to stop it in it’s tracks. Poe then leaped behind an overturned crate. The shot continued and hit the shield on Unkar’s hutt. Poe then motioned to Ben to ‘go, I’ll cover you.’ Ben leaped out from behind the crate and stormed over to the men with his saber drawn. Poe shot rounds at the thugs, almost hitting one when he turned to see what dark shadow was approaching. Ben swung his saber, taking out both men at once.

Ben backed up as Poe came over and slapped him in congratulations. “Come on. We’ve got business to take care of.” Ben had never enjoyed killing. Snoke used to make him carry around ashes of his victims to desensitize him, but it never really worked. He still felt that light side battling within him in these moments.

Ben pushed it aside and went back to Plutt’s hut. Poe was trying to smash it with his blaster. Ben grabbed his shoulder to stop him, then put his hand out over the lock. Unlocking a door like this is as easy as lifting a few tumblers with the force. It clicked to unlock in a few seconds.

Inside, the Crolute was hunched over a table of supplies, clearly loading them into a box. He looked up at them nervous, then held out his hands, expecting to be cuffed.

“Oh no. You had the chance to play this nice, before you called your boys to kill us.” Poe punched Unkar in his abdomen. Unkar Plutt looked down at him, clearly not pained. Poe shook his wrist, then stepped back to the door. “I’ll just keep lookout. Have your way.”

Ben then stepped forward. The look on his face must have shown more than he intended, because Unkar then squirmed, trying to get away. Ben ignited his lightsaber. He’d thought long and hard about how he was going to do this. In the end he decided on a set of strikes he knew would cause the most pain, without killing him straight away. He flicked his saber in play. As long as Plutt was afraid, he was going to enjoy this.

“You’re afraid? That’s how she felt.” Ben looked around and noticed the place looked exactly as it had in Rey’s memory. He felt her in pain and helpless as she was pushed against the very table the Crolute was leaning against then. But he couldn’t stand to picture her that way, so he pulled from his memories images of her strong. The way she told his mother what had happened to her, he knew that act was very difficult for her. Then he remembered the look on her face as she was going to give her testimony for his mother’s trial. Then Ben came to a sudden realization. This man was the monster she compared all monsters to. The look in her eyes when she called him a monster was on her face the previous day. When she went to see his mom.

Ben deactivated his lightsaber. He reached out his hand and the cuffs clipped to Poe’s belt flew to him.

“Wha-at.” Poe exclaimed looking over in shock.

Ben had Unkar Plutt in the cuffs by the time he finished blinking in shock. “We’re taking him in.”

“But I thought… Justice…” Poe stammered.

“This is justice.” Ben pushed him towards the door to where Charth had walked up. “Take him to the ship.” When he was out of earshot, Ben explained further. “He’s Rey’s monster. She needs to see him conquered for her to move on. Let him stand trial.”

Poe turned, nodding. He didn’t quite get what just happened, but he wasn’t going to debate it here. A few minutes later Snap and Karé walked into the hut.

“I won’t ask what changed about the plan,” Snap said.

“I assume the rest still stands.” Karé pulled out a long roll of paper and began attaching it to a board near the hut’s service window.

“The rest?” Ben said perplexed.

“The general’s idea.” said Poe. “We’re taking out a major player here, and if we do nothing, someone else will come in and take his place.”

“So that’s what we’re going to do.” said Snap.

“Be a Junk Boss?” Ben’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“No,” Poe slapped Ben in jest. “We’re going to start a Scavenger’s Guild.”

“Sign-ups start today!” Karé exclaimed. “The Guild will be run by the scavengers, for the scavengers. No one to take advantage of them.”

“It’s why I brought a team of six to catch one cretin. Karé and Snap will stay here to get things set up, while we bring him in,” explained Poe.

Ben pulled in to land his ship in formation with the others. Unkar Plutt had been tied up with Jess in her shuttle. Ben expressed concern over that part of the plan, but the others didn’t share it.

“I can handle him.” Jess had said, waving a knife in front of him with a look of glee in her eyes.

Still, they landed their shuttles in a triangle with Jess’s shuttle in the middle. There were a number of officers in the Hanger, and his mother. Ben gulped when he saw the expression on her face. She was _not_ happy.

Despite that, Ben didn’t have anything else to do, so he opened his shuttle and walked down the ramp. His mother didn’t look at him. Instead her eyes were fixed to the prisoner being led out by Jess. She must have been shocked to see him actually brought in.

The general waved her hand and Resistance officers moved in to take control of the prisoner. At that point Unkar pulled a vibro-shiv from some unknown place on his body and grabbed Jess, holding the blade to her throat. Jess screamed, and the others backed up.

Unkar then slowly backed up, heading for her shuttle, while still holding his hostage. But then he stopped. The muscles in his hand spasmed and he dropped the blade. One of the officers took advantage of the opportunity quickly to kick the shiv away, and grab a hold of the prisoner.

As they moved him Ben could see Rose standing there, with one of her homemade taser weapons held out. She looked just as nervous as Jess did with that shiv to her throat. Ben strode over to her and said, “Good job.”

“Thanks,” Rose said, breathing again.

The trial took several more days to prepare for. A jury was gathered from common citizens of the galaxy. Unkar Plutt hired a defense attorney and the Resistance had their prosecution attorney. As for the Judge, Leia stepped up and presided over the court.

Ben and Rey sat in a box above a courtroom on the planet Falleen. There was a shield built in front of them that hid them from view of everyone except the raised stand where Leia sat.

During the trial, Ben was surprised to see evidence of his mistreatment of the scavengers brought up. Crimes against the galaxy, the prosecution attorney called it. A few witnesses from Jakku had been flown in to speak. The newly minted scavenger’s guild had approved several traders to set up shop on the planet, and their economy, no longer restricted to just portions, was booming. They’d voted soon after to join Kylo Ren’s Order, and he’d even heard word of a petition to build a school in Nima Outpost.

Still, Unkar Plutt’s attorney attempted to tear down the whole opposition. His defense was that Unkar Plutt was a local hero who set up shop where no one else wanted to do business. Said that without Plutt the scavenger’s would’ve starved long ago. That was when they played her testimony. Ben could see the shocked faces of the Jury turn white and red as they heard her. Even the face of Plutt’s attorney seemed affected by the video, as he and Plutt shared a look and a shake of the head.

Ben was holding Rey’s hand for the whole trial. When the video came on he gave her hand a squeeze and opened that connection between them again. ‘ _I’m so proud of you,_ ’ he thought to her. Sure, he could’ve spoken those words, but it felt more intimate to use their bond. Her face had been stoic throughout the trial, but he could just barely see faint upturn to her lips as she heard him.

“Guilty, Guilty, Guilty.” The jury one by one read their ruling.

Leia banged her gavel. “Pronounced Guilty by a court of his Peers. I rule that Unkar Plutt be sentenced the highest penalty this court can give. Execution via Infernaworm implantation. She Banged her gavel again.

Ben’s mouth dropped as Rey whispered to him, “What’s an Infernaworm?”

“It’s a parasite. Implants itself into the soft tissues of the brain then it causes it’s victim searing pain until it kills. It kills slowly.”

“Oh,” Rey’s eyes were as wide as Ben’s. It was now that Ben understood that if he had killed Unkar on Jakku, it would have been a mercy kill.

The courtroom below was emptying as Unkar Plutt was carried away by Falleen law enforcement officers. Leia took the steps to go join Ben and Rey on the balcony.

“Hello dear. You did very well. Now he won’t be able to hurt anyone else,” Leia said to Rey.

“Mom, just where did the Resistance get an Infernaworm?” Ben asked.

Leia smiled. “I’ve been breeding them since Snoke announced you as his apprentice.” Ben looked at his mom aghast. “Everyone kept saying I needed a hobby. Think Unkar will mind if I give him one with Snoke’s name on it.”

“Mom...” Ben shook his head.

“What?…” Leia shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again,
> 
> I had Poe be a little rogue in this chapter, because I feel he'd be likely to understand someone wanting to go against orders for something like this, and I feel he'd be one of those types who'd round up a posse to enforce justice.
> 
> I debated giving Unkar Plutt the sentence he got here, but decided in the end that it is a fantasy story after all. I had to make up the name of the worm, because I couldn't find an existing parasite on Wookieepedia that did what I wanted it to. But if you do know of one, please tell me and I'll correct this. I used Latin and Google Translate to pick the name. I love Google Translate.
> 
> I don't think any of this chapter needs a Trigger Warning, but if you do, please leave me a comment and know that I am very sorry.


	33. Chapter 33 - Dance Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Obi Wan Kenobi is chosen as Rey's new Force Ghost Mentor. Ben decides to bring Unkar Plutt in to have him tried in a court for his crimes. Meanwhile a Scavenger's Guild is started on Jakku. They vote to join Kylo Ren in his First Order. Unkar Plutt is found guilty and will face a not so pleasant end. 

Chapter 33

All eyes in the room went straight to the two lovebirds who entered the room holding hands. Ben’s head was tilted to the side whispering something in Rey’s ear, which made her laugh. A second later they realized the attention they were receiving, and he dropped her hand, but stayed by her side as they took their seats.

“It’s good of you to bless us with your presence.” Leia went straight to business, though she had to suppress a grin seeing those two. “Now, we saw this today on our news-feeds.”

Leia nodded and a Holo began to play. It showed a bunch of First Order officers and stormtroopers being held at gunpoint by a mix of other uniformed officers and casually dressed civilians. But the thing that got everyone’s attention was the banner on display. It was a typical First Order banner, only this one had been altered. In the middle of the gear wheel a bird was painted, like the ones that were on the sash Ben wore for the first Holo the resistance had him make a while back.

“This was taken in Myrra, the capitol city of Akiva,” Leia explained.

“Akiva, that’s another planet under our belt.” Poe slapped hands with a few others in the room.

“Yes, it seems like a portion of the population heard about what we accomplished on Falleeen and Jakku, and wanted in,” Leia began. “But, I expect not everyone. The planet Akiva is also home to the Uugteen. A native race which has no doubt faced discrimination since the First Order took over less than a year ago. They live secluded in the jungles and also in the Catacombs under the city of Myrra. These catacombs could be a huge resource for us. Over the years they have housed numerous activities including a droid factory and an old rebel prison. But I will not attempt to displace the Uugteen to have access to them.”

“We will be reaching Akiva in a few days. When we are there our plan is to throw a ball. We will send out an open invitation to all Akiva residents, whatever species. And we will have our Supreme Leader, and his date make an appearance.” Leia looked pointedly to Ben and Rey. “You will dine and dance among the casual citizens, thus changing the precedence of our First Order. I will hope members of the Uugteen will attend the ball. If they do we can sit with them to discuss their participation in our ‘empire,’ but if they do not, we can, hopefully make contacts who’ll introduce us later.”

“A ball, really.” Ben rubbed his face with his hand. “If there’s anything that’ll convince Hux more that this is _not_ my empire, it’s me attending a ball.”

“With a date… Having a woman changes you. Even Hux’ll know that,” Poe contradicted.

“So… Who’s gonna be posing as his date?” Rey asked, with only a subtle hit of jealousy.

Leia laughed. “We were thinking, why try to fake something when we have the real thing right here…” Leia paused expecting Rey to realize her meaning, but she didn’t seem to understand.

Ben, though seemed to understand. “No. Any attachments I make Hux’ll try to assassinate. I will not put her under that risk.”

“Wait… Me…” Rey’s eyes finally shown with realization. “But the First Order still has a warrant out on me for murdering Snoke. Any First Order personnel will recognize me and they’ll find it strange their Supreme Leader dancing with his enemy. Don’t you think?”

Most of the rest of the room were smiling at this point. Leia laughed. “It won’t be unbelievable, trust me. And Ben, the First Order already wants her dead, this only changes why.” Leia sighed. “I _will_ send down a team in our stormtrooper outfits, capable of defending both of you.”

“Then I have another issue,” Ben argued. “Our men can put on the outfit, but they don’t have the discipline a real stormtrooper has. On Akiva there will be real troopers, and unless you want our men to stand out like a sore thumb, Finn and I will need to train them too.”

Leia looked at Poe, who nodded in agreement, then shrugged. “How hard can it be.”

“And I can’t dance,” Rey put in.

“Ben does, and he can teach you in no time at all.” said Leia.

Later that day, Ben and Finn stood in the training room with a large group of resistance personnel marching in formation around the track, usually used for running. They were all dressed from head to foot in the brown stormtrooper armor.

“Thanks for including me in this,” Finn said.

“I could think of no one better. Besides, this is our project anyways,” said Ben.

Just then Finn pushed a button on a device he held and one of the ‘troopers’ yelped in pain. “Back in formation,” Finn shouted at the man, who had stepped out of formation a second before.

Ben laughed. “Gotta thank your Rose for her invention there.”

Finn nodded, then pushed another button. This time the trooper stopped, pulled off his helmet and a very sour Poe yelled at them. “Hey. I was not out of formation that time!”

“Yes you were,” said Ben.

“And this whole shock system isn’t even fair. We have a few days to learn what took you guys years. Give us a little mercy.”

“The First Order has no mercy. Whenever a stormtrooper is caught out of line, he’s sent for reconditioning. It is a process you do not wish us to use.” As Ben said this, Finn looked down rubbing sweat off his face. “Another three rounds for talking back to a superior.”

“Four… for removing your helmet without authorization,” Finn added.

Poe rolled his eyes and put his helmet back on. He then stepped back into formation with the others, and they kept marching.

“Well, I don’t know. It’s gonna take us all day to get them to walk in a straight line.” Finn mumbled.

“Yeah, I could use yours and Rose’s help with something else too. I need to teach Rey to dance. Wanna help?” Ben asked sheepishly.

After their meeting Leia summoned Rey to her office. When Rey got there she was surprised to see the room was cluttered with dresses hanging from everywhere she imagined a dress could be hung. Leia was in her office, seeming to be straightening out one of the gowns. She looked over her shoulder and greeted Rey with a smile.

“Rey, it’s time to pick your dress for the ball.”

Rey’s eyes went big. “But I already have one dress.” Rey’s eyes caught on one of the gowns she recognized. “Besides these are your mother’s.”

“That old dress is not suitable for this kind of outing. And you are almost the same height as my mother, so it’s perfect. Come… Come…”

As Rey stepped closer to Leia a droid came out from beneath one of the dresses and began to take measurements. Kaydel was also in the room, looking through the gowns. As the droid did it’s work, she and Leia held outfits up to Rey, and either nodded enthusiastically, or shook their heads with their brows scrunched together.

When they had finally gone through every outfit, Rey was sent with several of them into an attached room to try them on. For each outfit she would walk with outside the room, and the other two would pick and preen at it before sending her back to try on another. After trying on four dresses, Leia and Kaydel finally turned her towards a full length mirror.

When Leia saw how Rey smiled at the gown, she nodded. “Well, that makes up my mind. This is the one.”

When Rey was back in her usual outfit, Leia gave the gown to the droid. “To make the necessary modifications,” she explained.

Later that evening, Rey was dragged by an excited Rose to the former stormtrooper mess hall. The tables had been moved and the large space temporarily repurposed into a dance hall.

“Where can I hook this up?” Rose asked Ben and Finn, who had been standing there talking.

“In the kitchen.” Finn led Rose to where there was a sound system she could attach her music player to.

Meanwhile, Ben stepped over to Rey. “Dancing is simple. It’s moving to the flow of the music. And when you’re the supreme leader, you don’t need to follow choreographed steps, so there’s really no reason to be anxious here.”

“Ok, Lets start out with something slow.” Rose used her datapad to start the player, and the room was filled with music.

Ben held out a hand for Rey to take. As he reached his other hand around her waste, she looked up at him anxiously. “Put your other hand on my shoulder.”

When Rey cooperated, he took a step with the music. Rey didn’t. She stayed staring at him with wide eyes. Ben nodded encouragingly and she stepped to match his. A few steps later Ben yelped. Rey had stepped on his foot with her boot.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Ben walked it off, then returned to her to try again.

Meanwhile, Rose and Finn danced around them and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“Anakin, What are you doing?” Whispered Luke.

“They’ve been getting a lot closer: holding hands, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ear. The next step is for them to kiss.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “That explains what they’re doing. But what are you doing?”

“I’m just setting the stage. Giving them a little light encouragement.” Anakin placated. “First step, is to set the mood. Now where is that music player.” Anakin walked over to where it was plugged into a wall in the kitchen. He touched the device and it changed tracks to another song. “Perfect.” Anakin smiled.

Luke winced. “What kind of music is that. No, those kids are gonna hate it. What else do you have on that thing.”

“What is this.” Rose made a face when the music changed unexpectedly. “This is like my grandparent’s music. I don’t know where it came from.”

“It’s alright, we don’t mind it.” said Rey, who had just managed to turn without stepping on her partner’s feet.

A few moments later the music changed again, mid song. “Yuck, now this is my parent’s music. I have to go see what’s wrong with my player.” Rose ran off to the kitchen. Finn followed her.

“Well, I don’t know what happened, but it’s working alright now. I’ve got it set back on the good music. Lets go,” Rose said to Finn after she took a few minutes to examine the device.

Finn walked back to the door and swiped to open it, only nothing happened.

“Well, open the door already,” ordered Rose when she got to him.

“I am.” Finn repeated the swipe and it still didn’t open.

“Oh, not this now!” Rose pulled a hydrospanner from her pocket and began examining the door’s mechanics.

Meanwhile, Ben and Rey just kept dancing. Rey wasn’t sure if it was what she was supposed to be doing, but she was using the Force to keep track of Ben’s feet and avoid stepping on his toes. Either way, she was enjoying herself, and Ben was happy too.

After three more songs Rey stopped and asked, “That music player should be fixed by now. It seems to be playing fine anyways. Should we go check on them?”

“I don’t know. They could have found… _other_ activities for a dark room, all alone,” Ben suggested with raised eyebrows.

“And we don’t want to interrupt them,” Rey agreed, nodding.

Several songs later, Rey stopped again. “I’m getting worried now. Even if they are doing, _that_ , they’ve been gone an awfully long time.” Rey ran over to the door to the kitchen. Ben was right behind her as she swiped to open the door.

Inside they saw Finn standing and sweating in the doorway. Over his shoulders went Rose’s legs.

“Nope, I can’t find it up here, either.” said Rose. “But the door’s open now. Thanks Rey.” Rose waved as she slid down Finn’s back. “Why are you blushing?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you like this chapter because I really had fun writing it.   
> I started with my idea about them seeing their flag on worlds suddenly, and read on Wookieepedia for a world to do this on. When I read about Akiva I got several ideas. Most of them are not Cannon, exactly, but I hope they don't contradict Cannon in any way. 
> 
> Also, I brought up stormtrooper training methods here, and while Finn, in cannon, doesn't ever seem to display any bad memories or trauma with it, I added a bit of anxiety to his reaction. I think it is more realistic for him that way. 


	34. Chapter 34 - To Plot and Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On:   
> The planet Akiva held a rebellion and self declared them part of Kylo Ren's First Order. Leia wants to hold a Ball there. Ben teaches Rey to Dance.

Chapter 34 – To Plot and Plan

They arrived on Akiva during it’s night cycle, taking a small shuttle down into the city of Myrra. There ancient architecture was mixed with new.

Ben knew only a little of this world, though he’d been researching it since they saw that holo. The planet’s Jungles were teaming with life. _‘Rey will love it here,’_ Ben thought to himself.

Ben was permitted to wear black again for this trip. Though the occasion, you could say, demanded it of him. Each outfit, including the one he wore now, was specially designed to, as his mother puts it, make a statement.

Beside him Rey’s outfit certainly did make a statement. Her dress was black to match his, and her hair was braided with red beads threaded throughout. Judging by her facial expressions however, Rey must have felt the dress was designed to torture her. However, based on the way the top of it clung to her womanly features, Ben suspected it was designed to torture him instead.

Also in their shuttle was a young Resistance cadet named Dillon. Dilly would be assuming the title General on this trip. He was supposed to be the Supreme Leader’s confidant. The one he’d speak through to carry out his rulings, though in truth his orders would come from Leia and her team, as Ben had almost no real power. Something he still resented, though he was getting used to it.

There were also six supposed stormtroopers traveling with them. Finn, Poe, and Snap were the only ones Ben knew by name. Snap actually had been helpful to Ben’s research on Akiva, as Snap had grown up there, and was more than willing to tell stories of his childhood once he learned of Ben’s interest.

Leia had a comm sent telling Akiva to expect their arrival ahead of time, so their ship was greeted by a commander of the defecting First Order personnel, and a team of white stormtroopers who must have defected as well.

When their shuttle landed, their brown stormtroopers got out first. They marched out following a procession and stood in two lines of three outside the shuttle. Ben followed, with Rey closely by his side. He had a firm grip on her through the force, because due to the tight skirt, and the ridiculous shoes his mother made her wear, she had a lot of trouble just walking. Still it helped him have that detached look a Supreme Leader must have meeting with subordinates.

Dilly stepped off last, and immediately greeted the First Order defectors present. “Your Supreme Leader Kylo Ren extends his Greetings to the world of Akiva. He is pleased you have taken to remove the traitorous from your ranks and your loyalty will be rewarded. I am General Dillon Degorn, and I have the honor of speaking for His Highness and for carrying out his commands.”

“Commander Boche, at your service.” said the First Order defector, as he bowed towards Ben. “The old Satrap’s Palace in the Royal District has been rebuilt, and prepared for your stay, if it pleases Your Highness.”

Ben looked over Boche with an air of indifference. Dilly looked at Ben then spoke again. “Yes, that will be agreeable.”

The defectors stepped aside to make a path. Ben walked with Rey between their lines, followed closely after by Dilly and the rest of their men. When they got to the street outside the hanger, they found a line of small speeders waiting.

“Bala-balas are the only way to travel in Myrra,” Boche rushed after them nervously to explain. “The streets here are so narrow, few other vehicles will fit.”

Indeed, Ben had heard about the Bala-balas and the narrow roads from Snap, but he made a point to look slightly put out, before nodding his acceptance to Dilly.

Ben walked up beside them all and chose one speeder to ride. He threw his leg over it’s side, then noticed the issue with the whole plan. Rey couldn’t just throw her leg over in the skirt she was wearing. Instead he pulled her over to him and sat her behind him with her legs over one side together. “Hold onto me,” he instructed, and she wrapped her arms around his chest.

Boche took the lead speeder, and he led them up narrow, bumpy roads into a gated community known as the Royal District. There he led them up to the largest property. It was built using a combination of timber and stone. The foundations were much older than the rest of the place. They must have been all that remained after the old Satrap’s Palace was bombed.

Their speeders pulled up in front of an archway. The archway led to stone stairs that led up to the palace entrance. From the entrance there were two wings that stretched out on either side. However, they were not mirror images of each other, as the wing on the right had a tower containing at least two more floors than the left side.

When they entered the Palace Rey’s eyes became very big, looking up at the ceiling that stretched several floors above her head.

“Greetings Your Majesty, I am Edward, the Palace Butler.” Edward greeted them with a bow. “I hope the palace pleases you, and your, uh, guest.”

Ben turned to Dilly, who was walking up behind Ben. “Rey should take off these shoes so she can finally walk on her own.” He whispered.

Dilly turned to Edward, “Kylo Ren is very pleased with the palace. He would like to introduce you to Lady Rey. While he is here, you are to take care of her every need.”

“Oh, yes. Greetings Ma’am,” Edward rushed to bow to Rey.

“Have your servants take Master Ren and Lady Rey to their quarters,” Dilly commanded.

Edward clapped his hands and two servants walked up. “This is Carly and Kevin. They will see to your needs while you are here.”

“I understand servant’s brought our belongings from the Hanger,” Dilly inquired.

“Yes, several bags were brought in through the servant’s entrance just now.” Edward sounded relieved to have someone closer to his station to talk to.

“Very good, I’d like to see your dance hall. How many can your kitchens serve?” Dilly continued to drill Edward long after Ben and Rey walked away.

There was a long grand staircase in the entrance hall, but the servants had enough sense watching Rey stumble around the foyer to lead them to the lift instead. Upstairs, they led them down a hall to a set of double doors, which the male servant opened. “Supreme Leader, your bedroom suite, if it pleases you.” He sounded very timid.

Ben turned to Rey. To the servants and anyone else watching, Ben simply nodded to Rey, but this was when they opened up their mutual mental connection. Rey probably only agreed to pacify Ben. But to Ben it was a safety measure that soothed his anxieties more than knowing he’d be bringing his own guard from the resistance. This was a First Order world, after all.

Ben then turned and entered his quarters. The room was very large. Creams and whites dominated the color scheme. Ben found it acceptable.

‘ _Oh my, Ben!’_ came Rey’s thoughts. She must have gotten to her room already.

‘ _Where are you?’_ Ben asked.

‘ _Right beside yours. Next door on the right. This room, It’s…’_

Ben laughed. It felt nice to hear her enjoying this.

‘ _This bed, it’s so big, and so grand. Why did they cover it?’_

‘ _The screen is to keep out the Ya-ya flies. They take advantage of the moisture after a rainstorm to breed, and they breed like crazy. You’ll want to sleep with the curtain drawn, from what Snap’s told me.’_

‘ _Oh, well it_ _must be_ _a very expensive curtain._ _It feels like_ _it’s made from Demicot Silk!’_

‘ _Only the finest for the Supreme Leader and his guests.’_ Ben thought.

‘ _I want to take off this dress and these shoes. Where are our clothes?’_

Ben was beginning to wonder the same thing, so he pulled the cord that rung a bell summoning a servant to his quarters. The door opened, and Kevin pushed in a cart with several outfits hanging, and more bags loaded below.

“I have your belongings right here, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Kevin said with a bow.

“No, you’re dismissed.” Ben replied, suppressing a laugh and a smile. Rey’s thoughts as she finally took off her shoes were filled with a few curse words even he didn’t know.

When they were both wearing a second, more comfortable outfit, Dilly came to Ben’s room. “Everything seems to be going well. I spoke with Commander Boche. He seems to be the one in charge here in the interim. I have given your proclamation that a counsel be elected to send you issues and suggestions for leadership, and he says that would take a couple months to prepare for. I think he’s delaying for some reason. I haven’t covered the issue of opening up the voting to all species yet. I figure we can tackle that once I get him to stop stalling.”

“Does the General know about this?” Ben asked, deciding to use his mother’s title in case his room was bugged or a servant was listening in.

“Yes, she agrees with my assumptions. For someone like him to get power, even a temporary power, then being asked to give it up suddenly would naturally produce some resistance. Anyways, I’ve spoken to the staff here. They have a dance hall large enough for holding a Ball. And the kitchens are prepared to cater it. Raffaele, he runs the kitchen here, wants us to do a tasting this afternoon. We should be able to hold the Ball at the end of the week.”

“Yes, do that. And remember, send the invitations to all species.” Ben knew he didn’t need to give him such commands, but again, if someone was listening in, he had to seem to be in charge.

“Yes, all species,” Dilly repeated. He seemed to understand enough of Ben’s motives to give a slight bow before leaving.

Later that afternoon Ben and Rey went down to the dining room to participate in the tasting for the Ball. Rey wore a comfortable white dress and a pair of shoes similar to the style she usually wears. As Ben walked down he held Rey’s hand. He was having a hard time holding a stern face with all her thoughts of shock and amazement at every room they passed. He figured if their Supreme Leader were going to be smiling like an idiot, it’ll be better if there were a reason others could perceive.

When Rey started trying the Akivan delicacies, he began to regret his decision to stay mentally bonded. Her thoughts trying the foods were sensual, to say the least.

“Try my freshly made Dao-ben. These steamed buns are filled with Salustan Jam and Carruthian brandy.” went the chef. Raffaele watched them with awe as they tasted his food.

‘ _Mmm_.’ Then when Rey got to the middle she thought a surprised. ‘ _Ooh. That’s so good._ ’

Ben nodded his approval to the chef. The next dish they brought out was steamed Korlappii, still in their shells.

‘ _eew’_ Rey thought just looking at them.

‘ _Try it. It’s better than it looks.’_ Ben took one to demonstrate how to get the meat out of the shell.

‘ _It looks as gross as the bugs on Jakku. I haven’t been that hungry in a long time.’_

Ben received the memory of a sour and bitter taste and a bug still squirming as it went down her throat. This reminded him she had been _that hungry_ before. He pushed the plate away “We’ll pass on this one.” As he said this Raffaele frowned in disappointment.

In the end they approved several dishes, including a roasted Wyrg stuffed with Arguez sausage, a Corobb salad made with the local Koshar melons, and a fried Boaboo fungus.

Next Raffaele brought out a tray of drinks. He passed them glasses filled with different brandys and wines from across the galaxy for them to sip. Ben could tell Dilly liked the Carruthian brandy, and it was one of his favorites as well. Then Raffaele poured the last bottle and a gold colored beverage filled the glasses.

Rey tasted a sip of the drink, and her mind went, ‘ _Mmm it’s sweet and fruity_.’

Ben simply held onto his glass as he listened to Rey’s thoughts. Raffaele interpreted his stillness as indecision. “Sashin-leaf mead, Sir. It’s locally brewed.”

By the time Ben took a sip he was decided. “We’ll serve the Sashin-leaf mead and the Carruthian brandy.” With that decision made, the tasting was complete.

“Come on Luke, I will get my grandson to kiss that girl, even if I have to drag you here myself.” complained Anakin.

“Oh, you’re still on about that kiss, are you! The music didn’t work. Neither did giving them some alone time. What’s next? You gonna force feed them Amare seeds? You know that would work better than any of your nitwit plans.” Luke grumbled back.

“Tell that to Obi Wan, why don’t you! You can’t interfere with their free will like that. You’ve messed around with their biology enough.” Anakin imitated.

“So what is your plan then?”

“They’re going to go to a Ball, where they will eat, then dance. When they’ve finished dancing, knowing your nephew, he will be desperate to leave the crowd.” When Anakin said this Luke rolled his eyes. “He’ll take Rey out here to the gardens.” Anakin looked around. “These won’t do,” he said while studying a bush. Waving his hands he moved plants around, then smiled. “When he brings here here, these flowers will bloom with the slightest push from yours truly, and it’ll create a _moment_.”

“A moment?”

“Yes, a moment,” said Anakin looking down on Luke with dismay. “He’ll lean forward a little. She’ll lean forward. Then their lips will meet. His hands will stroke her hair. Maybe they’ll even use their tongues!”

Luke wrinkled his nose and spat his tongue out. “Yuck, why do you have to make it sound so gross.”

Anakin only rolled his eyes. “It’ll be romantic. The kiss of the century.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> I have recently added chapter titles, because with 30 plus chapters it’s getting hard to remember what each was about. I had fun with a few of them.
> 
> I didn’t find a lot of pictures to use for Akiva, so I used Mediterranean design and Roman architecture for my inspiration.
> 
> For this chapter I did a lot of research on Wookieepedia, especially for Star Wars foods. The stuffed Wyrg dish was a bit between the lines. I couldn’t find any Wyrg in the books, but there was a Wyrg Jerky Akivians were said to like, so I figured why not.
> 
> For Rey’s reactions to the shellfish, I vaguely remember hearing about some insect on Jakku that was a source of nutrition if you were desperate, but couldn’t find anything when I tried to look it up. I figure it sounds realistic, even if it was only my imagination playing tricks on me. Rey’s reaction to shellfish is the same reaction I would have.
> 
> And the Amare seeds Luke mentions are entirely from my imagination. I tried to research some type of substance in the Star Wars universe that makes you get frisky, but couldn’t find anything to any of the search terms I used.


	35. Chapter 35 - The Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: They arrive in Akiva and plan the ball. Commander Boche was resistant to holding an election on Akiva. Force Ghost Anakin has detailed plans to get Ben and Rey to kiss after the Ball. 

Chapter 35 – The Ball

Rey waited until right before the Ball to remove the beige outfit cover from her dress. When Ben begrudgingly agreed to close their mental connection temporarily, it was safe to look at it. Leia got her to agree to keep the dress a secret, and in truth, Rey did want to see the look on his face when she came down wearing it. That dress, the one she specially chose with Leia for this occasion, was beautiful. It was a red gown, as soft as silk. It’s sleeves were long and got wider near her wrists. There was gold embroidery near the neckline, which dipped down in a V above her breasts.

When Rey was dressed, the servant named Carly came in and offered to braid her hair, which Rey readily accepted. In the end she had two braids, going out and around her head to be pinned together in the back of her head, almost as if she were wearing a tiara. The rest of her hair was straight, except for a slight curl near her shoulders.

“Do you like it, miss?” asked Carly, holding a mirror out for her to see.

“Oh, yes! It is beautiful,” said Rey and Carly gave a relieved giggle.

Just then there was a knock on the door, and a voice came from outside. “Rey, It’s Po… PN-8031. The Supreme Leader wants a status report.” said Poe, remembering to use his code-name in just the nick of time.

Rey sighed loudly. “Tell him I’ll be out when I’m ready.” She bit her lip, “I’m almost ready, a few more minutes.”

Poe chuckled, then ran off down the hall.

* * *

As Ben got ready that morning, he fretted nervously.

“Don’t worry, kid. It’ll be fun.” Luke Skywalker’s voice came from behind him.

“I’m not worried about the dance. I’m worried because I can’t get instant warning if some team of assassins make their move now.” Ben turned to face his uncle.

Luke held his hand out and straightened Ben’s tie using the force. “She’s safe.” Luke then held his hand up and a piece of mint gum floated in midair and into Ben’s pocket. Ben looked down on his uncle suspiciously. “Just take it. If you don’t your grandfather will never let me rest in peace.”

* * *

Poe found Ben pacing in the downstairs foyer. The household servants were scattering in all directions, putting in the last minute preparations for the event. His anxiety seemed to be contagious, as the girl putting out flowers only needed to look at him once to have a look of dread spread over her face. She fled the room as if she were running from a whip.

“Supreme Leader, she’s almost finished, she’ll be out when she’s ready.” Poe gave Ben a mock bow, for everyone watching.

“How much longer is she going to take.” Ben stopped Pacing to address his ‘trooper.’

“From my experience, she’ll take far longer than you’ll think is justified, and there’s nothing you can do about it. But trust me, it’ll be worth it.” Poe stepped back to stand at attention, and Ben resumed his pacing.

A few minutes later, Ben stopped suddenly when he noticed several servants in the room had stopped their tasks suddenly and looked up. Ben lifted his eyes to the top of the stair where he saw Rey. Her hand was on the railing and she slowly lowered herself down the stairs. Each step she took, Ben’s heartbeat seemed to grow louder. His eyes couldn’t help tracing the lines of her dress. He was glad he agreed to close their mental connection, as his thoughts then were not gentlemanly at all.

Rey looked at Ben and smiled. His face said all that she needed to know, still. She opened up the mental connection and sent him a thought based question. _‘What do you think?’_

‘ _Sexy,’_ Ben’s thoughts seemed to say without filter. ‘ _Bea- I mean you’re Beautiful.’_ Ben stumbled on a correction.

Rey laughed, humored by Ben’s thought process.

* * *

It was less than an hour later that the guests began to show. Dilly had placed an open invitation in the local news holo and they came in droves. First there was a dinner, and the guests would be spread out between two dining rooms and a larger party room filled with tables. Then afterwards they would all be invited to the dance hall where a live band was set up in a balcony to play.

* * *

In the preceding week, Ben had heard Commander Boche complain to Dilly about every feature of this Ball, especially their insistence on inviting non-humans, whom he spat just talking about. Boche was amongst the first guests to arrive, and he brought with him several other higher ranking officers. Ben was introduced to them all in turn, and one caught his attention. He was a shorter man with dark hair and a mustache. His name was Millard, and he had a very dark presence. It was as if he harbored a lot of hatred.

Immediately after greeting them Ben pulled one of the household servants aside. “See that the human guests are divided up amongst the other guests. Especially Boche’s guests.” Ben was worried about the obvious species-ism and he hoped just getting them talking would solve a lot of the problems.

* * *

Ben and Rey went on to enjoy the party. During the meal it was Rey’s idea to go around and meet as many of the guests as she could. Ben mostly stayed back, but he did accompany Rey on her visits. At one table there was a few Ithorian and Abednedo members who were having a lively discussion on the First Order’s lack of support to Akivan farmers.

Ben interrupted the conversation to ask the one quiet table member what he thought. “Millard, do you have any opinion on this? ”

Millard merely gave a gruff “humph. I wasn’t listening to the rabble-rousers, sir.”

“Should farmers be given aid during the monsoon season?” Ben helped.

“They never have before. If they don’t plan for a few seasonal storms, why should we?” Millard answered.

This got the others in the table upset again. Ben got up to leave them to their discussions, but turned again to Millard. “The exact plight of the Akivan farmers during these ‘seasonal storms’ interests me. I’d encourage a man in your position to do as much as he could to learn all angles to the issue before suggesting a solution.”

* * *

By the time it came to dance, Ben’s social energy was running low. Fortunately, he and Rey would be the first ones out on the dance floor, and dancing required a completely different form of energy, of which he had in abundance.

Ben had been anticipating the moment when he’d get to put his arm on the waist of that dress all evening, and now that the moment was coming up, he felt his heart beating rapidly. He held his hand out to Rey and she blushed. _‘Oops, what did I think?’_

‘ _Nothing unwelcomed.’_ Rey took Ben’s hand and he led her out onto the dance floor. When he stopped she turned to face him and he reached his arm around the back of her dress. She sent him a mental image of his hand lowering several inches, and Ben’s face turned bright red. Still, he took her direction and lowered his hand, not as far as she had hinted, but low enough his pinkie lightly touched her forbidden zone.

They danced a few paces when Comander Boche and his guests took their partners onto the dance floor. For a while it was just humans dancing, then one Sallustan couple decided to join the floor. Gradually the other guests joined in. Ben noticed several of Comander Boche’s guests gradually left the floor when the others joined in, but he didn’t care much about where they went or why they left.

* * *

In the Garden outside, Anakin was preparing to do his trick, and choosing his hiding spot when his concentration was interrupted by a loud crunch. He turned around and saw several force ghosts seated on one of the benches in the garden. Luke was amongst them, loudly crunching on a snack from the other relm. Anakin scrunched his eyebrows and stormed over to them. “What are you doing here?”

“We want to see it, the kiss of the century.” Luke said, waving his hand for the last part.

“You’ve put in such an effort to get them to this point. We thought you’d want witnesses.” Obi Wan reached over and grabbed a handful of snack from Luke’s bucket.

“Alright, just don’t let them see you.” Anakin looked over and noticed a shadow moving behind the door. “Quick, they’re coming!” Anakin jumped behind one of the bushes, while the remaining force ghosts disappeared.

* * *

After several dances the party was still as lively as ever. Ben, however, was feeling tired, and Rey’s thoughts shared that same feeling. ‘ _I bet the Supreme Leader can leave his own party whenever he wants to_.’ Rey silently chided him.

Ben looked up and around the room, seeing the doors to the gardens on the other side of the room. ‘ _That he can.’_ He took Rey’s hand, and led her through that door. The garden was quiet with only the trace amount of music coming through from inside. It was dimly lit with lanterns amongst the greenery. A stone path led down from the door and circled around a fountain in the middle of the garden. On the outer edges of this circle there were stone benches, and Ben walked with Rey towards one of these benches.

As they walked the flowers around them started to bloom. Rey looked around in surprise when she noticed the flowers. She looked up at Ben her a bright smile beaming across her face.

Ben noticed the flowers blooming and he looked around in confusion. “This isn’t me, I didn’t do this.”

“It is pretty though. Don’t you agree?” Rey’s smile was not dimmed by his words.

“None more beautiful than you.” Ben’s eyes were fixed on Rey. She looked up at him and leaned up. Ben slowly leaned his head downward.

Rey’s eyes opened in shock. Millard ran up behind Ben. He held a long knife with a curved blade, and he was swinging it towards Ben’s head!

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking, poor Anakin. He just can't get his way. Well, Don't worry guys, I have plans... [Evil laugh] I have plans for those two. 
> 
> I feel I am nearing the end of my story. If I take it the way I've imagined that is, I can see an ending soon. Now, I do have another couple of ideas for fanfiction, and I don't know which one I'll do first.
> 
> NOTE: If you are trying to avoid TROS Spoilers, skip the next paragraph:
> 
> One is a complete upheaval of the whole sequel series, tentatively titled "What if Anakin were not such a dead beat grandpa" Pun intended. It would be more of a spoof. I've thought of a few funny explanations for and ways to negate the less popular features of the story. The only thing is that I haven't actually seen TROS yet. Yes, I know, I don't get out much. But I've read a good deal of spoilers and I've already come up with some ideas of where to go. I imagine I'll start with Anakin Force dragging Han back to Leia before TFA. He then explains his idea on how to save Ben. Hint, it includes a young scavenger named Rey. He's partway through explaining his plan, gets to the part where Han is on the bridge with Kylo Ren and pleading with him to come home. Han guesses "And that's when he turns." Anakin replies "No, that's when he kills you." This plan will not be so popular with Han, and after some more arguing Anakin admits there is another way, "But you're not gonna like it." Also somehow he has to bring back a version of Palpatine, one that's been boiled and distilled to just his light side. Only when they do that, a monkey creature (a pet to a figure in the other relm helping him, a creature from a galaxy far, far away) accidentally gets some of the dark liquid part of Palpatine's soul on his ass, and accidentally smears it on the book of reality. A fitting explanation for TROS, don't you think? 
> 
> My other idea is one I've had since seeing Revenge of the Sith. I hate bad endings, and I am still slightly cross they didn't pull a surprise time travel, AU stunt and give it a happy ending. My intention is to create an alternative plot where Anakin doesn't go Vader. I'm not sure how yet, I'll probably have to rewatch ROTS to figure it out. The feature I may change might be his mom not dying. Anyway, when Palpatine goes bad, Anakin and the rest of the Jedi go into hiding. Anakin has Padme off world, probably in Tatooine with his mom. And some time later, he has no choice but to bring Obi Wan to Tatooine to hide. When they are there, Obi Wan is surprised to see Anakin greeted by a small child calling him "daddy." 
> 
> Anyways, I don't know which if any Fanfic I'll write next, but I wanted to share my ideas with you. 


	36. Chapter 36 - Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Ben and Rey attend a Ball, and except for a few prejudices and political commotions, they enjoy their time. Towards the end Ben and Rey take a stroll through the gardens, only their "moment" was interrupted by an assassin.

Chapter 36 - Trapped

Ben flinched when he saw Rey's eyes go wide. Before he could think of what he might have done wrong, he got an image from her mind. The image was clear, and for a second it was as if he were seeing out of her eyes. As Millard ran up behind Ben and swung his knife toward his head, Ben pulled his body to the right, avoiding the blade by mere inches. He turned around in an instant, his arm already reaching up, prepared to force-freeze Millard, when a blaster shot went off from over the hedge. Millard fell uttering only a single groan.

They could hear storm trooper boots approaching, and Ben backed closer to Rey, so she was behind him. He was glad she didn't fight him on this, instead she put her arm on his shoulder.

Ben activated his lightsaber, and prepared with his mind to use a force-push on whoever came through. In a moment two stormtroopers came around the hedge. One was a locally stationed white trooper, the other wore the Resistance's brown armor. It was Finn. Ben sighed in relief and deactivated his lightsaber, while Rey came out from behind Ben.

"There's trouble," Finn said without taking a moment to breath. "Commander Boche and his guests have taken hostages inside." It was only now that Ben realized that they were no longer hearing music playing from the palace. "It would seem they're not all as loyal defectors as they appeared. I've gotta go back in there, but I want to get you two as far away as I can get you. This is KL-1533." Finn motioned to the other stormtrooper. "He'll show you a way out."

"Shouldn't we stay to help. Rescue the hostages." Rey eyed the now quiet building nervously.

"That's what they're hoping for. Poe and I've got a plan, but it hinges on you two being safe and out of here." Ben was surprised to hear Finn break protocol to call Poe his given name. He must trust this KL-1533 a lot, then.

Ben put his arm around Rey and turned to look at the trooper in question. Finn took the opportunity to disappear behind the hedge again.

"This way, Supreme Leader, Ma'am." KL-1533 motioned them towards a small gate near the back of the property.

On the other side of the gate there was a very old road. Looking right it wound up into the nearby mountain, carving a very deep indent in it's path. They turned left, but though the road was going away from the mountain, their path was still carved deep into the ground. So deep, in fact, that in places buildings were built on top of the road, and they passed right underneath them.

"This is Withrafisp road, built to evacuate the Satrap in an emergency." Their trooper guide told them when they stopped to catch their breaths. "Is it true, sir, that troopers in your units are given real names?" As he asked his eyes dragged across the ground, though there was a twinge of hopeful energy in his voice.

"Um, yes." Ben thought the question must be from Finn's earlier reference to Poe. "Though it's still early in it's testing phases. You're ordered to keep it under wraps, for now."

"Yes Sir. Of course Sir." KL-1533 said.

"What name do you want to have?" Rey gave him a sympathetic smile.

"KL One Five Three Three is all I know, Ma'am."

"Kay ell five." Rey seemed to be mumbling under her breath, before she announced loudly. "Ooh, I know, Klive!"

"Klive, I like that." the trooper said with a brief chuckle, that was then rescinded and followed by obedient silence as he stood with his hands pulled behind his back.

"Very well then, Klive it is." Ben almost broke in a smile when the trooper looked up again. Though they could not see his face, they could feel a bright smile from Klive at the pronunciation of his new name.

"Take off your helmet then, Klive," Rey suggested.

Klive looked to Ben, who nodded his approval, before reaching up and pulling off the helmet. Underneath, Klive's head was shaved bald. He had thick eyebrows, a large nose and big fat lips that broke into a broad smile immediately on exposure to fresh air.

"Nice to meet you Klive." Rey gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder, before they continued walking.

* * *

After walking a ways, they started hearing a buzz from the helmet Klive now carried at his side. He stopped walking and rubbed his finger over a part near the bottom of the helmet. The buzz got louder till it became a female's audible voice.

"KL-8893 here, requesting backup at Satrap's Palace. I repeat, requesting backup at Satrap's Palace. Ahhhhh." The comm was cut short by her ear pitching screech.

Klive pulled his eyebrows together, and frowned as he turned to look back the way they had come.

Rey put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they have it under control. Poe has a plan."

"Go." Ben waved his hand pointing back towards the palace. "I can find out way out from here. We'll head down to the lower city then go to the hanger where our ship is docked. Go, save your girlfriend."

Klive nodded and turned to run back to the palace.

"How did you know she's his girlfriend?" Rey placed her hand into Ben's as she asked.

"Ooh, I recognized that look." Ben closed his fingers around Rey's.

"I thought Finn said fraternization among stormtroopers was against regulations." The cross in her eyebrows was contradicted by the curve threatening to pull at her cheeks.

"Love can happen in surprising places," Ben teased back.

They ran the rest of the way down Winthrafisp road. When they were near its end, Ben motioned Rey to get behind him as he approached the gate. Peering thorough the bars, he saw white stormtroopers on the street outside. They seemed to be doing a sweep, searching civilians and their belongings as they went. By their rough handling of several townspeople, Ben could tell these weren't his men. Dilly had seen to it that all local troopers were trained in new, less harsh methods earlier in the week.

The troopers were about to continue past the alley he was looking out through. ' _It'll be tough, but we'll have to sneak out and across a few roads from here.'_ Ben used their bond to share his plan with Rey.

Instead she grabbed his hand and pulled his focus behind them. ' _The Uugteen,'_ she thinks at him. Behind Ben sees an entrance into the old catacombs. There's another gate in the wall, now dilapidated and falling off its hinges. Behind the gate is a set of stone steps going down into darkness. And then Ben sees movement behind this gate. A shell of a droid is moving across the floor, when it turns to him. Carved out of the shell there is a hole for the face of a young child. She has pale skin and no nose, but very large bright eyes. She's only there for a second before she runs to the stairs, disappearing into the darkness.

"Leia wanted us to meet the Uugteen while we were here," Rey whispered.

"But the ship. We've got to evacuate," Ben whispered back.

"There are a lot of troopers out there. Even if you could guarantee that's the last team to sweep this street, and get us to the shuttle, there's no way you can know we won't be met by an army of them in the hanger. We have to get away from the troopers, whats more away than the last place they'll go," she said this pointing to the darkness of the catacombs. Ben sighed in resignation and Rey grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.

* * *

In the pitch darkness below Ben activated his lightsaber which filled the space with a pulsing red light. They were in a tunnel, with large grooves carved into the stone walls on either side. They could hear the pitter-patter of little feet which made clear the direction they were to go.

They followed the child through what felt like a maze of tunnels. Most of these tunnels were simple stone tunnels with cavities built into them which once housed the dead. There were a few arches and walls with carvings, but as intricate as they were, Rey and Ben had no time to stop and examine them.

Their trek ended with a sharp turn in the tunnel when they saw another Uugteen near another carved archway. This Uugteen was much older than the small child they had seen earlier. Instead of the droid pieces the child wore, this old man wore a tattered brown robe woven from natural materials. There was a dim light coming from the room behind him, so Ben deactivated his lightsaber.

Rey held her arms out pacifically in front of her. "We aren't here to hurt anybody. We want to talk."

The man ran back through the archway and Ben and Rey ran to catch up with him. Behind the archway was a small room. It's walls were made from a different stone than all the others had been. Those walls were a dirty brown, while these walls were a very light grey. Neither Ben nor Rey could tell where the light was coming from. The most startling thing, however, the room was empty. On the other side of the room was another archway, and past it were more dark tunnels of the same brown stone.

Ben and Rey ran into the room, intending to go out through the second archway to continue searching for the Uugteen they just saw. When they passed under the first archway, they both stopped, looking around and at themselves.

"That felt weird," Rey said.

Ben didn't wait for long. He ran towards the other archway, where he seemed to hit an invisible wall of some sort. As Ben fell back from it he yelled from a combination of pain and frustration.

"Ben!" Rey ran to him.

Ben looked up at the walls around them. "It's a trap. Built to protect some ancient Jedi temple, probably. They only allow wielders of the light side of the force to pass through." Ben began to laugh. "When I was with Luke he found an old tablet the emperor stashed away. It said there was an ancient Jedi temple under these catacombs. Luke and I were actually preparing to come here and look for it. Only then we found a Jedi Holocron that stated it was a Sith trap here instead. The old buddy thought it must've been a legend. Wrote it off entirely. Shows you!" Ben kicked small loose stones on the floor as he yelled. "You should be able to get through though. Meditate, clear your head of the dark side, then walk through." He motioned to the archway.

"So come on then. Meditate with me. We'll do this together." Rey's voice bore her determined spirit.

Ben shook his head. "It's too late for me. I've been using the dark side far too long. It's ingrained."

Rey looked up at the archway with a pained expression on her face. "I can't just leave you here."

"We don't have any other choices." Ben looked away from her pained eyes. "Maybe beyond, in the temple, there'll be a way to shut it off." Ben doubted this very much, but he wanted her to go through, and he knew her best bet was to find the emergency exit of the temple. It likely went past the city walls and out into the jungle.

Rey turned again to look at the archway with hope. She knelt on the floor and closed her eyes. Entering a meditative state she reached down to the force within herself. She used the skills Ben taught her to still the flame to only a small flicker within. That last flicker, she had a purpose for.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Ben had sat on the floor in front of her. He sat in a meditative pose, though his eyes were open.

Rey leaned forward, catching his lips with hers. The kiss lasted longer than she planned. Ben's lips grabbed hers when hers went still, then they were off again. Rey leaned forward, on her knees to better reach Ben and she leaned her arms against his chest to support herself. When she opened her eyes and pulled back Ben had a faint smile on his face.

After she was done, she returned to her meditation. She noticed that last flame had not diminished, but grown. Though its energy did not feel dark to her, she ended its feed as she had been taught.

* * *

"Yahoo!" Anakin lept for joy from the other relm where he had been looking down on our relm.

"What's gotten into you?" Luke was startled by his father's antics.

"They kissed!" Anakin threw his body around dancing in his victory. "They kissed, they kissed, they kissed," he continued in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, you are so embarrassing. Obi Wan, where's my mom. I need a DNA test. This man can not be my father." Luke walked off, leaving Anakin to continue dancing.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again,
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has been leaving comments on my piece. I know I haven't gotten to reply to everyone, but I've been trying to.
> 
> This is the first kiss scene I've written, so if you could be so kind as to let me know what you think, I'd appreciate it. It's a rather difficult thing to write, as it turns out.
> 
> My next chapter may take some time. I want to try to finish a first chapter to my next piece before this one is done, so I can share it with you all. But I already know, more or less, what's going to happen for the next two chapters of this. It will probably finish in two or three more chapters, we'll see.


	37. Chapter 37 - War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last on: Ben and Rey rename their stormtrooper guide, Klive, then send him back to save his girlfriend when things sound bad on the comm. Ben and Rey then get diverted from their path to follow an Uugteen into the catacombs. They then stumble into what appears to be a Jedi temple's trap. Ben is stuck and can't get out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger Warning: This chapter includes violence at a public event, explosions, and the use of children in warfare.**

Chapter 37: War

As Hux sat aboard the Finalizer, his flagship, attending a meeting on important business matters, he couldn’t help but think how good he was at this. ‘ _Far better than that sorry excuse for an apprentice had,’_ he thought. ‘ _I was always meant to lead.’_

The investigations into the stolen, now missing Star Dreadnought were put on hold when news came about Falleen. Some of his advisers were alarmed at their sudden revolt, but Hux remained calm. “Let them go, That trash pit of a planet was never very valuable to us. When we complete Starkiller 2.0 we will destroy them. Until then, let them think they’ve had their victory.”

“But, Sir.” One of his more timid underlings spoke up. “The planet makes twenty percent of our textile orders, and mines fifteen percent of our metals, including those used in starship development.”

“Then send an order to our other factories and mines to increase their output.” Such simple problems always had simple solutions, according to Hux. His underling quickly noted the decision and avoided eye contact.

“Uh, Supreme General, Sir,” came a voice from the intercom.

“I am in a meeting,” Hux grumbled.

“Yes, Sir. It’s just, we had a message come in just now, from Akiva, Sir. You’re gonna want to hear this right away, S-sir,” stammered the voice on the intercom.

Hux sighed. “Very well. We are finished here. Send that Comm to my office.”

“Yes, Sir. Alright, Sir. Will do, Sir.” the squeeks that followed faded from the room.

‘ _This had better be important,’_ Hux grumbled to himself.

* * *

In his office Hux plops down in his desk chair, and pushes the button to play the message.

“Supreme General, This is your loyal follower Commander Boche. I have been stationed on Akiva. When a party of rebels began to talk about overthrowing your power in the region, in favor of the impostor, I took it upon myself to join their ranks, as a spy, and it has proved fortuitous. The impostor is here, on Akiva, Sir. He will be here for three more days, when he plans to hold a Ball. I have several loyal men with me. We will attempt to slay the impostor and retake control. All we ask is that you send men here to back us up when the time comes.”

Hux smiled. ‘ _Oh Ren. Looks like the game’s finally coming to a close. And I’m gonna win!’_

Hux pushed the button to contact the bridge. “Change course immediately. We’re headed to Akiva.”

“Yes, Supreme General.”

* * *

* * *

Temmin Wexley, usually called “Snap,” was wearing brown stormtrooper armor and going under the designation TW-4493. He never thought he’d end up doing this, especially on his own home world, but he understood the mission and the stakes.

He glanced down over the balcony again and surveyed the dancing hall below. “The birds are nesting, all is gold,” Snap spoke into his radio. The code for: Ben and Rey are dancing, all is well.

Snap heard a noise from a nearby room. ‘ _Guests shouldn’t be up here,_ ’ he thought. Snap cocked his head as far as the armor would allow to see through the doorway, until he found a young servant, barely a boy. ‘ _He shouldn’t be up here._ ’ Snap knew he could easily report this and have the boy disciplined. Snap looked in his eyes, and the boy’s eyes opened wide with fear when he saw him. Snap wondered what led him to take up employment so young. ‘ _Was his father arrested by the First Order? Did his mother leave him to fight in a war, worlds away from home?’_ Something about the boy reminded him of himself at that age, so he let the moment pass. The boy scurried away in a few seconds and Snap looked back towards the dance hall.

He walked right to the edge of the balcony, fervently scanning the floor. “The Bird has flown. I repeat, the bird has flown.” Snap panicked, he couldn’t find Ben or Rey.

“The Bird’s gone fishing.” said Poe over the comm. A code for ‘They’ve gone into the garden.’ Whoever invented their code, snap had no idea, but he closed his eyes in relief. “I have eyes.”

Very suddenly things changed. An alien woman below screamed. Snap ran for the stairs. Then there was a bang from somewhere nearby. His body was thrown down the stairs in the explosion. As Snap struggled for consciousness he could here a blaster going off a distance away.

* * *

Some time later, Snap was roused by another trooper, KL-1771. When they first arrived they started retraining the local troopers. Finn, he remembered, got really invested in the role. The KL unit was the one he chose to stay on in the palace. He felt he could trust them most.

The trooper shook him again. “TW- 4493, we are ordered to reconvene in the downstairs conservatory. PN-8031,” that’s Poe’s designation, “is already waiting for us.”

Snap moved to stand up. “Status?”

“The enemy has moved the hostages into the kitchen. Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and Lady Rey are being evacuated.”

Snap stood in shock, absorbing it all in. The term ‘hostages’ stuck out in his mind. “Wait. Who’s the enemy? And what about the explosion?”

“The enemy is presumed to be Commander Boche. His motives remain unknown. And the explosion, we presume was a distraction. We don’t know how it was set yet. It came from behind where you were stationed on the balcony. We thought you were dead, until I saw you start to rouse.”

“The Boy.” Snap remembered now the child he saw in the hallway moments before the explosion. ‘ _Could he have been caught in it? Could he have been the one setting it?’_

“What Boy?” the trooper interrupted.

“Oh, uh. It doesn’t matter now. Uh, was anyone injured in the explosion?”

“Only yourself.”

“Then lets get to the conservatory,” Snap said, testing a few steps to confirm he could still walk.

* * *

In the conservatory Poe stood discussing something with Finn. They both stopped their discussion to look at Snap when he walked in. Snap cursed the stormtrooper outfits. He couldn’t tell anything about the expressions his friends had when he walked in and it looked creepy the way they stopped talking and turned to him.

“Good, KL-8893 go with KL-1771 here to guard the door. We don’t know how far this spreads, and we don’t want them to get back-up from their pals outside.” The stormtroopers in question marched away. Poe then referred to a hastily created replica of the palace floor plan, which was on one of the tables. “This fern is the kitchen. This box is the dance hall.” We are each taking a team and going this way, this way, and this way. We’ll have them surrounded.”

Snap nodded along with the plan. “Is that droid any good?” He pointed to what looked like an old battle droid on the floor of the conservatory.

“Now, where did that come from?” Poe stepped over to it. He knocked on the side of it and it produced a hollow sound. “Probably an old relic. doesn’t sound like there’s a hard drive.”

* * *

* * *

Klive rushed back to the Palace. When he got to the dance hall door he heard movement inside, and he stopped to listen.

“All is clear, Supreme General. No sign of Ren, sir.”

Klive didn’t stay to hear more. He walked round the building to try another entrance. If Hux’s men really were here, the situation looked bad, but something inside Klive told him that there was still hope, if he could get inside. Klive found a window near some bushes, and he threw a stone statue he found in the gardens to break it. After several seconds of silence, he was sure no one had heard, and he climbed into the window. He was in a study on the first floor.

In the hallway he heard boots of fellow troopers, followed by the sounds of doors being kicked open. He rushed to hide against the wall, and aimed his blaster at the door. When it opened he shot.

Less than a week ago he would have continued on with his mission, never stopping to think about the trooper he just killed. But in this last week something changed. Perhaps it was the way the new troopers treated him in training, or perhaps it was his new name, given to him by Kylo Ren, himself. But if he could be an individual, why couldn’t this man or woman be. He stopped beside the body and he folded the trooper’s arms over their chest. Such a funeral is rarely offered to a stormtrooper. He felt it was the least he could do. Then he moved on.

“Status.” The voice of another trooper made Klive jump a little.

“Clear.” Klive assumed they thought he was the dead trooper. He held his breath.

The trooper didn’t notice anything odd, and turned to continue the searches. Klive continued with them until he found his ideal moment.

“Here,” shouted one of the troopers. The other troopers quickly marched to surround him, and the commanding officer came in to look at what he saw. Klive was still standing a distance away, pretending to search behind a piece of furniture, when he heard a babies cries. Instead of gathering in formation with the others, he pulled out his blaster and fired at the group. They went down in seconds.

Only after this did he move closer to see what the trooper had found. Another trooper lay there, her helmet was off, and she was clutching an alien infant. It’s umbilical cord still fresh.

“KL-8893.” He greeted her by stroking her cheek. “What happened?”

“We were sent to guard the entrance against intrusion. Along the way we found a stray Besalisk female who had run from the dance hall in the confusion. She was pregnant, and she was giving birth. I sent KL-1771 ahead to the entrance, while I stayed to help the woman give birth. He was overwhelmed at the door. Hux sent an army. KL-1771 fell. Then a team of troopers came in to search where we were. Her mother told me to take her and hide. She did not have the energy yet to run, and when the troopers found her… they…

Klive lifted his thumb to wipe a tear away from her cheek. “You’ve done very well. Where are the others? The new troopers?”

“They were going to surround Boche’s men in the kitchen. I heard they were threatening to shoot General Dillon if we didn’t hand over Kylo Ren immediately. I don’t know what happened after that. Several of our men were shot, and the new troopers are on a different wave length. It’s been a while since I could get anyone to respond.”

“Then we’ll have to keep trying.” Klive pulled off his helmet and rested it on the arm of an old battle droid, which was decoratively placed in the hallway. He then reached down to examine the infant who was still crying. He wished he knew more about how to care for such young lifeforms, but it was not a part of his training. “What designation are we going to give this little one?”

“Designation, no he needs a name.” KL-8893 said.

“You both do.” Klive gave her a big smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, confessions here, I kind of began writing this chapter without a clear plan, and let the chapter write itself. I think it turned out ok, for a Rey and Ben - less chapter. Don't worry, folks, they'll be back in the next chapter.
> 
> And I published a couple chapters of my next fic. If you like my version of the Force Ghost Characters, you might like this one too. Follow the link below to give it a read:
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161825/chapters/55435894


	38. Chapter 38 - The Power to End War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Hux is on his way to Akiva. Snap was almost caught in an explosion. The party goers were taken hostage. Klive found his girlfriend, and she's rescued an infant child of another party guest.

Chapter 38: The Power to End War

Standing up, Rey walked to the second archway. She tested it out by holding her hand up and attempted to push it through, only it was like she hit a transparisteel wall. She pushed, though no matter how much energy she put into it, the wall did not budge. Then she backed up a few steps and took a running start towards the archway. Bang, she flew back. As Ben reached down to help her she shook her head. Her vision was still dizzy.

“I don’t get it,” Ben said above her. “The trap doesn’t allow the light side or the dark side to go through. Who would set a trap like that?” Ben paused for a moment, waiting for a reply, “But then how did that little man get through? The force goes through all living beings.”

Rey looked up at the wall of their little room, as her head stopped spinning. She wanted to understand this all as much as Ben did, though she couldn’t help his arguments now. On the walls there were many carvings. There was a large figure of a humanoid life form in the middle of one wall. Right over the location of the heart for most species there were two smaller images. A crescent moon and half a sun. ‘ _Day and Night, in the heart. No that doesn’t make any sense.’_ Rey pondered the images.

Below this, in the image’s belly there was a flame, she thought it was. This reminded her of the flames she had just extinguished inside herself. To quell the dark side. ‘ _But that didn’t work. Neither did Ben’s dark side.’_

“The legends!” Rey shouted when she hit a realization. “There were two of them. One Sith, the other Jedi. Each side said the other built a trap here.”

“Yes, but clearly it was neither.” Ben sighed, becoming frustrated that he couldn’t figure it out.

Rey thought about that last flame she extinguished, the one fueled by their kiss, as she looked again at the moon and sun over the heart of the image. She remembered one of the lessons she read in Luke’s old books. Hate, and anger it said were paths to the dark side, but what confused her most then was that so was love. Yet her love produced a flame inside her that didn’t feel like it was the dark side. It wasn’t exactly light either, but then, nothing Snoke, or the Emperor ever did was with love.

Ben looked at her when the first whispers of love came across her mind. They were still mentally connected. Though he quickly refocused on the archway.

Ben had been only half listening to the thoughts bouncing around in her head. They didn’t make a lot of sense to him. He did think he heard some thoughts about him, and then love, and he got hopeful. But then he saw the image of the moon and sun over the heart of the image Rey had been obsessing over and he stopped hoping.

His mind then began adding to that images from his own memory. His parents hugging and kissing. The way they’d go out of their way to surprise the other. And also some of the arguments they had.

Then Another memory, after Ben had stolen and crashed a speeder with his friends. His dad got so mad and yelled at him. But later his mom tried to explain he only got so mad because he loved Ben.

Lastly was the memory of Han’s hand, as it passed over Ben’s cheek when he killed him. Love, pure and complete, is the one emotion that causes both joy and pain. Light and dark, but mixed together to create something else.

“I need you to kiss me again!” Ben looked up startled at Rey’s sudden demand. “Kiss me.” she whispers.

Ben reached down and pulled Rey in to him. When he kissed her he let his emotions run rampant. Both hands of Rey’s went behind Ben’s head as she pulled herself up to him. His hands quickly moved behind her back to take up a portion of her weight. As the kiss progressed his hands slid down, farther than they had gone when dancing earlier that night. Their kiss was long and heated. When they were forced to stop, both were breathing hard.

Taking his hand, Rey turned towards the archway again. This time there was no transparisteel wall blocking them. Their hands both passed through the wall at the same time.

The tunnel on the other side turned left and led to an open chamber underground. When they entered it they were holding hands. The chamber was filled with Uugteen, and when they saw Ben and Rey they lifted their heads and their throats produced a long call that sounded like a mix between a shriek and a howl. One of them, an old man, turned and stepped towards Ben and Rey. The light in the chamber was dim, and Ben and Rey didn’t see him till he came close.

“Long have we waited. You have finally come.” He reached up to beckon Ben and Rey to follow him. “Long ago, the Sith and the Jedi went to war. They each tried to create their super-weapon. Genetic manipulations, meant to make a being respond to only the dark side or the light side of the Force. The fruits of their efforts are here. My people. The force doesn’t bend for us at all. Not the light, nor the dark. Yet their war continues. On the surface your armies are fighting the local ones for power, yet neither will win. Hux has already sent his army to the surface. He will kill all disloyal to him.”

“We set the trap, for the only type of power that can end the war. We were designed to be weapons, and thus we will be, but only for the ones who have demonstrated this power.” As the old man continued, the yelping voices in the cavern faded. The Uugteen were leaving.

* * *

On the surface Poe was attempting to rally his remaining troopers. “Here, Here. Jim, Mike, Bob.” He had since named all of his men. “Fight for your names! Fight for Larry and Sue.” Two troopers who had already fallen. “And fight for justice!”

“Yahaa!” The other stormtroopers cheered.

They had closed in on the kitchen, prepared to take them out or force them to surrender. Inside the kitchens, Boche’s men were threatening to shoot Dilly, supposedly Kylo Ren’s right hand man. Poe had negotiated to have more time to bring Kylo Ren here, even though they had no such intention. He had two other teams going around to surround the kitchen and force them to give up. Only an invading army of troopers arrived from outside, and was closing round Poe’s team now.

One of Poe’s men, named Bob, got in a shot on an enemy stormtrooper. The trooper dropped. Another stepped up behind him to take his place. That trooper got in a lucky shot and Bob went down. Jim went down next. Mike only lasted a few seconds longer. Poe never saw the trooper closing in behind him. He was hit with a different type of stunner weapon.

When Poe regained consciousness he was in the same location, surrounded by troopers, and a familiar redhead was speaking with one of the troopers.

“I don’t recognize your designation. Lets see who Ren has gotten for his army.” Hux said when he saw Poe moving his head. Hux motioned and the trooper near him pulled off Poe’s helmet. “Dameron, why I am shocked.”

“Hugs,” spat Poe.

Hux didn’t react. Instead he wiped a gloved finger over a decorative statue, then looked disgusted at the residue on his finger. The statue looked like an old droid. “How tacky.” He turned back to Poe. “I didn’t expect the resistance to be involved in this. Tell me. Did Ren go home crying to his mommy when I took over his little empire.”

Both men were shocked to silence when they heard a strange sound coming from a distance away.

* * *

On the other side of the kitchen, Finn and his men had been able to join up with Snap’s men before the new troopers arrived. One of their men was trying to break down the door to the kitchen.

Snap went to the breakfast area to make sure the windows in that room were locked. In the breakfast area there was an old droid, which Snap thought odd. ‘ _Who would decorate a breakfast area with an old droid?_ ’ Then before he left, he saw movement behind the droid. Snap aimed his Blaster, and a young boy backed away from the droid, looking afraid.

“It was you.” Snap said perplexed. “You were up on the balcony right before the bomb exploded.”

“Please.” The boy lifted his arms.

Snap recognized the look of fear on the boy’s face. “Gotten yourself associated with the wrong people. Someone really could’ve gotten hurt, kid. Wait, you were headed to the kitchen before we showed up. How were you gonna get in there?” Snap asked.

The boy was silent. He looked down to avoid Snap’s gaze.

“I know what it’s like to get involved with the wrong people, the wrong kind of stuff. It isn’t over yet. If you have my back, kid, I’ll have yours,” Snap promised.

The boy looked up hopeful. “There’s a password,” he said.

“Come with me.” Snap motioned with his blaster. When the boy started walking, Snap could see he was shaking. He put away the blaster and put his hand behind the boy’s back to guide him.

* * *

Finn was surprised when Snap brought in the boy.

“Move away from the door.” he ordered the trooper who was trying to open the kitchen door. When he moved away from the door, Snap shouted “We’re not gonna get in here! Let’s move out!”

Finn seemed to understand. He began to march in place, loudly stomping his feet, and some of the troopers near him did the same. Snap then motioned for the boy to step up to the kitchen door.

“The Clever-birds of Akar fly.” He said the password and the door opened a crack. Snap stepped aside just in time. When the figure inside opened the door more Finn stepped in and pushed the door the rest of the way open. Their men aimed their blasters at Commander Boche and his men inside aimed theirs back.

“Don’t come a step closer,” hissed Boche. He backed up and pointed his blaster at the head of one of the hostages.

Snap motioned to his men to stop. They were at a draw. Both sides waited for their backup to reach them from outside. Then they heard a noise.

* * *

Klive and Kelly, he named his fellow trooper, sat with the infant in one of the out of the way rooms of the Palace. They had been trying to get in touch with anyone for a while now, but were unable to get any replies.

“It is strange,” Kelly said. “Either our men are gone, or…”

“Or there is a suppression device somewhere close,” Klive continued. Klive knew from his experience such a device would need to be carried by several men. It would need to be placed into a wide, open room really close by to work. Yet Kelly’s radio signal did reach him outside. And the other guys signals did reach Kelly a while ago, but not him. The lightbulb went on suddenly. “I know where it is!” Klive jumped up. “They are keeping the suppression device in the Dance Hall.”

Klive jumped up and prepared to run there. Kelly didn’t move. “We can’t just leave him. And we can’t bring a baby to a battlefront.”

Klive stopped. She was right, and he knew it. Alone, he likely wouldn’t come back, especially if the suppression device was guarded, as it probably was. But then one clever aimed blaster shot would be enough to stop the device. “I still have to go,” he said.

Kelly turned to him with tears in her eyes. “Don’t, come with us. We’ll get out of here. We’ll run.”

Klive desperately wanted to. “If Hux wins, there will be no running from the First Order. Go, take Withrafisp Road. Take him with you and keep him safe.” Klive leaned down and kissed Kelly. His hand stroked the infant’s face. “Good bye, little one,” he said to the baby.

* * *

Klive found the Dance Hall easily and he crept to one of the arched doorways. From his location he could see the device standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by three stormtroopers. He took in a breath, and prepared for what he had to do. In another second he would run into the room, shooting for the weak point in the device as best he could. Those guards would surely shoot back at him. One of their shots would reach his shoulders or his legs, and his final moments would be filled with pain. Klive let out his breath and ran. He didn’t hear the noise as it slowly started to fill the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out my newest Fanfic story, especially if you've been enjoying my writing style. The Skywalker Tale: A Legacy Restored
> 
> You can find it on my profile. 
> 
> And please leave reviews, I enjoy reading your comments. 


	39. Chapter 39 – The Uugteen Attack!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: Rey and Ben make it out of the trap and meet those who set it. Poe was captured by Hux. Snap and Finn find a way into the kitchen and are at a stand-off against Boche's men. Klive prepares to destroy a suppression device, even though he knows he won't survive the encounter.

Chapter 39 – The Uugteen Attack!

Klive is so focused he doesn't hear the sound of the Uugteen war howl as it fills the space. The stormtroopers on guard, however, do hear it. It fills them with terror, and makes them shoot wildly, with little aim at whatever threat they can perceive.

In the room there are several of what appear to be old droids. The trooper's commander had assumed they were placed there for the purpose of decoration. He assumed wrong. As soon as the howl starts they begin to move. They ignore Klive and go straight for the troopers.

Klive still manages to shoot and disable the jammer device, then he lookes at himself, shocked to not find a blaster wound. He is still hearing shots being fired.

The troopers find themselves under attack by creatures wearing old droid armor. What skin they have exposed is painted to seamlessly blend in with the armor. If the First Order had spent more time researching the locals, they would know these are Uugteen. When the Uugteen finally kill their troopers, each lifts his head and their yowls join the chorus. Then Klive hears it and looks up at them. He backs away in fear, but the Uugteen ignore him and run out of the room.

* * *

Poe is kneeling before Hux when they hear the Yowling begin.

"What's that?" Hux questions, but his men shake their heads. They don't have an answer. "Shoot him." Hux gives the order, disinterested.

One of the troopers pulls out his blaster and steps back. Lining up for the perfect shot.

Poe closes his eyes.

The droid in the corner of the room, the one Hux called a tacky decoration, stands up and throws itself in the way of the shot.

Everyone in the room is shocked by the sight of the humanoid creature with droid parts strapped to his arms and legs. The Uugteen yowls a soft hum, as his wounds bleed out on the floor.

Meanwhile the yowling increases in volume until a hoard of Uugteen arrive. They throw themselves on the troopers, and soon the noise is mixed with men yelping and screaming their last breaths.

Poe was released by the troopers when this all began. He walks around in a daze, shocked by what he sees. Then a redheaded lump crawling away from the scene catches his eye. Poe grabs the blaster from a fallen trooper and runs after him.

"Surrender." Poe aims the blaster at Hux's head.

Hux looks back at Poe with real fear in his eyes. Poe is not sure the man ever showed that much fear in his life. Then Poe hears the chime from his wrist. It's a notification he has a comm coming trough. Thankfully Finn's armor designs put a second comm device in the wrist of the armor, as Poe's helmet is now lost somewhere under several dead troopers.

* * *

"Poe, Anybody, come in." Finn comms desperately, looking for any answer. In the kitchen they hear sounds of violence and fear the worst.

"Sounds like backup's finally arrived." Commander Boche smiles.

The hostages clutch each other, shaking with fear.

"I don't think that's the sound of Hux's men." One Boche's own men says.

"No, that yowl I'll remember the rest of my life." One of the hostages, an older Abednedo man who's missing an arm from an old injury, speaks up. "That's the sound of death, if you wander into the wrong cave on Akiva. The Uugteen."

"Primitives are no match for the mighty First Order," Boche says.

Finn continues calling to anyone outside on his comm.

"Finn!" the delighted voice of Poe startles Finn when he hears it. "Oh Yeah! What's your Status?"

"We're in the kitchen, at a standoff with Boche's men. What's your status?" Finn asks.

"I'll let you answer that, Hugs." Poe must be passing his comm device over, because the next voice that comes out isn't his.

"This is Supreme General Hux. By command code One, Two, Five, Point Three, Nine, Nine, E, all units are commanded to stand down. I repeat all units are commanded to stand down." Hux then continues in a very week voice "We surrender."

"No, no, no!" Boche shouts as his men begin to set down their arms and raise their hands in surrender. Boche still has his blaster aimed at one of the hostages, an Ithorian female, who screames and shakes with fear as Boche grabs her and holds his blaster closer to her back.

The others are forced to hold their shots as Boche backs up with the hostage and kicks the kitchen door open with his foot. He drops her in the last moment and turns running outside for the bushes. He never makes it to the bushes, as two figures suddenly jump out and pounce on him. The others watch from inside the kitchen as his screams slowly fade from his body.

Snap aims his weapon at the Uugteen, but when they are finished with Boche, they merely look up at the crowd of onlookers and prance away. "I never..." Snap breaths a sigh of relief.

* * *

Rey and Ben were led by the Uugteen elder through another set of tunnels to the surface in the city of Myrra. They climbed a last set of stairs and went through a gate, entering the main city square of Akiva. They looked around in shock. What was once a lively market had been reduced to overthrown baskets and tattered curtains.

Rey saw movement in one of the nearby windows. She and Ben went there and opened the door to find about ten mixed race Akivans huddled under a table. They looked up in fear, then when they saw Ben, they fell on their faces in a bow.

"What happened here?" Rey asked.

One of them, a human female, answered, "Stormtroopers arrived and ordered everyone inside. They began searching for you, Supreme Leader, and questioning everyone. When they couldn't find what they were looking for they destroyed our stalls in the market. They moved on through the city. Then we could here the yowling. The yowling we teach our children to fear. A hoard of Uugteen passed through this block on their way uptown. No one has left their homes since. Are we safe, Supreme Leader?"

Ben didn't know how to answer her. He pulled aside to whisper to Rey when the Uugteen elder came up behind them to the doorway. Those inside screamed and clutched each other out of fear. "It's ok," Ben said. "He's with us." ' _I think,'_ Ben knew it would be truer to add the last bit on, but he didn't think it would help.

"Stay here. We're gonna go on and check where our armies are. When you hear the city bells, know it's safe to come out," Rey sounded a lot more confident, which marveled Ben.

As Ben and Rey walked uptown they found they had to walk through pools of blood, and over bodies, mostly of dead stormtroopers.

Eventually one of the doors opened, and a red faced man in an apron waved them to come over. "We have prisoners, sir," he said, giving a bow as Rey and Ben approached.

"What happened?" Rey asked as and Ben came up to stand near the doorway.

"In here," he led them inside his workshop. "When the stormtroopers were here, one of them was asking about your location. He put his hands on my wife, while his men were trashing my workshop. I couldn't take it anymore. I picked up the blade on my workbench, and I pointed it at him. There were five guys, plus more outside the shop. I knew I didn't stand a chance. But before I could regret the decision, a yowling pack of Uugteen came running up the street. They were killing trooper after trooper. The one I had my knife to, he just raised his hands and surrendered. Several Uugteen came in and killed the two troopers who didn't have their hands raised, but they let everyone else go."

"Impressive," Ben said.

"I got'em tied up in the back room. They say their orders come from General Hux. That's all they've been able to tell me."

Ben nodded. "Keep them here. When I have use for them I'll send someone. Good work."

* * *

Farther on, Ben and Rey entered another marketplace. This square looked a lot more alive. In the middle there were several troopers, holding other troopers prisoner. There were also Akivans walking around. One of them walked up to a trooper, made to kneel by another trooper, and spat at him. The trooper holding him prisoner merely waved the Akivan on. When they saw Ben and Rey walking up, the Akivans began to cheer. Several came out with flags in their hands and waved them at Ben, Rey, and the Uugteen elder who followed them through town.

"Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Sir." one of the troopers knelt at Ben's feet.

"Rise," said Ben. "Status."

"Our units were deployed to fight off the intruders. Immediately we were at a loss. No one expected such a large army to be sent down. Then when those creatures came through, Hux's men started surrendering to us in droves. It's amazing, Sir, the creatures hadn't harmed any of my men, the Akivans, or any of those who surrendered. Just those still fighting.

"Yes, you'll want to send someone to a shop back that way. The shopkeeper has a few more prisoners."

"You've not heard the best bit, Sir. Hux has surrendered. He's with one of your men in the Palace." This made Ben smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, folks. I know I am spinning the Uugteen in a different direction than they were used before. I hope you still find it cool, though.
> 
> Check out my other project on here. Click my profile name, it's under there...
> 
> I anticipate there will be one more chapter to this, but then that could change once I start to write it. I'm really bad at keeping things short.


	40. Chapter 40 - Reeducation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last On: The Uugteen save Klive, Poe, and the bunch by attacking Hux's men and overwhelming him with their numbers. Hux surrenders to Poe during the battle.

Chapter 40 - Reeducation

Ben was attending one of the most upbeat resistance meetings he'd been to yet. Poe had just briefed them on his portion of the events on Akiva that led to Hux being taken prisoner.

"And then Hugs says 'we surrender.'" Poe explained. The room was filled with sudden cheering and applause.

Ben couldn't help but think, if things had gone differently, these same people would be cheering his own capture instead. But then he heard Rey, beside him, chuckle, and it broke him out of it. That was not this reality.

"We still don't know what made the Uugteen attack the Stormtroopers, yet. I understand Ben and Rey have more to share on that point." Everyone in the room looked over to them. Ben and Rey had to tell their story.

"We were on Withrafisp Road, when we saw an Uugteen near the entrance to the Catacombs." Rey began.

"It was a child. We followed the Uugteen child, until she led us back to her people." Ben felt tempted to skip the part about the trap and their kissing.

"Well, the child eventually disappeared, and an elder Uugteen was there instead. We followed him right into…"

Ben was getting nervous now. "Into the Uugteen settlement where we persuaded them to join us."

" _You_ persuaded a reclusive cloister of native Akivans to join the resistance." Leia did not sound convinced.

"Well… We had to prove ourselves first," Ben supplied.

"There was this trap, for Force Users. It only allowed a certain type of force energy to go through," Rey added.

"Light side or dark side?" One of the others asked.

Both Ben and Rey looked at each other nervously. "Neither… Or both." Rey said. Ben could feel his face blushing.

"Well, I look forward to hearing more about this later. I understand the Uugteen numbers rival our earlier estimates." Leia changed the subject, much to Ben's relief.

"Yes, it seems that they are impervious to life signs detection. They are asking to be given transport to the other First Order worlds. The ones who are still resisting Hux's call to surrender." said Dilly. He was low ranking in the resistance, but he took on a role of leadership in this last mission, and it seemed he had a knack for the role. "Also, Akiva, as well as seven other worlds are holding their elections next week. It seems, without the opposition, they were easy to arrange after all."

"Very good. Sounds like we are even closer to phase two, where governmental decisions will be made by an elected counsel. But first we need to get a local governing body set up on all worlds with elected members. The next bit of the First Order we need to stop is The Steadfast. It's a Resurgent-class battle cruiser under the command of a General Pryde. He's been flying supplies to the other remaining First Order worlds. Poe, I want you to figure out the tactics of going up against him. Evaluate the practicalities of using the Uugteen army, as well as the stormtrooper units which are now loyal to us."

"Yes, ma'am." said Poe.

"Finn, Ben. I want you two to work together on one more project. Design a way to undo the mental programming the First Order did to the Stormtroopers. We want them to be able to live normal lives after this, and membership in our military will be voluntary."

"Yes, ma'am." Finn said with an enthusiastic voice and a smile on his face. Ben couldn't help but feel excited too. The stormtrooper program was entirely Hux's creation, and it was always something he disapproved of, even before he left the First Order. His compassionate side, he supposed, the light that he was fighting back against then, it disapproved. Taking apart that program filled Ben with a peaceful feeling of right.

When everyone was leaving the room, Leia looked over at Ben. "Stay, please. I want to talk to you."

Ben felt nervous. Was this when she was going to ask more detailed questions about the Uugteen trap? "Mother, the trap was…" Ben began.

"Luke already told me about the trap." Leia said with a wink. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Leia reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box. She handed it to Ben. "I wanted you to have this." Ben took the small box and opened it to reveal a ring. His mother's ring. Ben looked up in shock and his mother continued. "I didn't have to hear Luke's descriptions of what happened to know something's changed. You two have grown very close. I think it's time to give you this."

"But this is yours!" Ben stammered.

"Your father gave it to me, when he asked to be mine forever. It made me feel so special and loved. Now, I want you to have it. Go make that girl feel special." Leia said with a warm smile.

Ben smiled. He felt that feeling of contentment again. It was right. His father was important to Rey too, so a ring Han purchased, given by someone she loved, would be special for her.

"Thank you," Ben said with tears in his eyes. Leia reached over and hugged him.

* * *

Later that evening Ben returned to his quarters and was surprised when two Force Ghosts walked in.

"You're going to propose! This is great news." Anakin was smiling and excited.

"I agree. You and Rey will make each other very happy," Said the more solemn Luke.

"In a few days you'll be heading to Chandrilla for Resistance business and I think the location's perfect. Now, it took some time to plan, but I've worked it all out." Anakin waved his hands and images began to pop up on the table like a holo-projector was under it.

"Anakin, I think we should leave this part to the kid," Luke tried to put in.

"Oh, Luke. Stop being bantha fodder. Now Ben, To fly the banner, do you think we want an X-wing or a Star Commuter?"

"Actually, I was thinking of going simple. Just Rey and I on a walk through Junari Point," said Ben.

Anakin noded. "Ok, simple."

Ben, seeing his grandfather accept his plans, went to grab what he came to his room for, and then walked out.

"I told you so." Luke stepped closer to see what Anakin was doing.

Anakin stayed examining the holo like images he made appear on the table. "He wants simple. I can do simple. It just needs a few alterations. We'll go with just one Fathier pulled carriage, and limit the band to just one vocalist." Luke rolled his eyes. "Instead of crowds of strangers, we'll have just family and friends in the park center. And we're still gonna get it on camera, though we'll go without the live broadcast." Anakin continued to plan out loud, even though Luke had since walked away and vanished from the relm.

* * *

After Hux surrendered to Poe on the battlefield, he was transferred first to the missing Star Dreadnought the Resistance had stolen for Ren, and then to a prison on a planet somewhere. Hux wasn't expecting to be alive for long. He knew he'd likely be executed once they figured they had no more use for him.

Still, the prison was a bit more comfortable than the brig on the dreadnought had been. He had more space in his cell, and limited social contact with other prisoners.

One day he was in the social area playing a game with a couple other prisoners when there was a disturbance in another part of the prison. The guards transferred a few prisoners to his cell block from the other section. One was a Crolute, and he was brought in strapped to a table and confined to a cell right away. He was screaming constantly. Hux suspected they had him hooked up to a torture device, but he could see no such devices.

"What did he do?" Hux's voice shook as he asked his fellow prisoner.

"Don't know. He's got an InfernaWorm. He'll be screaming like that all night long. Usually they keep him in the isolation section, but it's been closed for repairs. Now they've been moving him around. It seems D-block went mad listening to him all day and night. Now it's our turn."

For once Hux was doubting his theories on a clean, easy execution. He doubted, whatever this guy did, that there was anyone Kylo Ren hated more than himself.

* * *

Ben served as the figurehead for the new quasi empire for several more months. During which, he and Finn began a program to reeducate stormtroopers. The stormtrooper quarters on several worlds were renovated to give them more room. Special family quarters were also added to add an incentive for volunteers to join. Amongst their first residents was a family of two former troopers, now known as Klive and Kelly, along with their adopted Besalisk son, affectionately named Kylo.

After the war, Finn and Rose married and began a University program, designed to continue to educate those troopers who chose to leave the army. Poe continued to serve with the Resistance high command as long as he was needed, then eventually transferred to the army where he commanded a troop of former stormtroopers and volunteer soldiers.

Four months later, the state of things had finally progressed to a point where Kylo's own position could be put up for election. Ben gladly signed the order, and gave the position over to the galaxy's first ever elected supreme leader, Dillon Degorn, also known as Dilly. The position didn't have many of it's former powers, but amongst its' powers it did grant the ability to veto decisions made by the counsel, and to force the counsel to vote on important issues.

Ben retired from his short lived political career eager to settle down on Chandrilla with his new wife. But before he left, there was somewhere he had to go first.

* * *

As Ben walks into the Falleen Prison, he's greeted by two familiar reptilian faces. "Yell, Hal," Ben greeted.

"Solo Ben," the two bowed to greet him in the Prison entrance way. "We heard you were coming this way, and we wanted to say thank you. You have done so much for our people. We are no longer slaving away in the factories and mines all day for enough to feed our families," said Hal.

"We've actually opened up our own business." Yell hands Ben a small card reading Sevőn-Charr Clothing and Textiles.

"Wow, congratulations," Ben says. "It hasn't all been my doing, but Falleen has done a lot for the new United Planets Republic, it's well deserved." said Ben. The new republic's name, often abbreviated UPR, had been debated for weeks by the counsel. Ben actually had to use his force vote power to get them to vote and move on when another major issue broke out in the Outer-rim. He liked the name. It beat calling it his own quasi-empire.

After saying goodbye to those two, Ben walked up to the office of the prison. He handed the on-duty officer his ID card, and the special papers he brought granting him the permissions necessary to visit with the Prisoner he intended to see.

* * *

Ben waited in the visitor area for the guards to summon him. When Hux walked in for a moment Ben was tempted to let the anger boil over again. But he had come here for a purpose, and that wasn't a part of it.

Hux sits down in the prisoners section of the room, behind a thick transparisteel wall. "Well, well, well. It's Kylo Ren himself. All the way here to see me."

"Ben."

"Hm?"

"It's Ben."

Hux shakes his head. "You may have reclaimed your former name, but I know you Ren. That boy is dead, and you are still a walking puppet. How's your Mommy doing?"

Ben grimaced. Then he remembered he couldn't let men like Hux control him anymore. "Mother's doing well. Was almost elected to my old position, but she turned it down. Decided to retire, now that the galaxy has peace, and democracy again."

"Democracy. We'll see how long that lasts." Hux spat at the screen.

"It's over Armitage. The First Order has been disassembled. It's members were either reabsorbed happily into the current system or imprisoned for life in places you'll never find them. You have nothing left, outside of this prison. Even your precious stormtrooper program has been ended. Finn and I, we've been undoing your brainwashing, and it's come to my attention that we've still got one more trooper left."

"Finn? You don't mean?"

"Formerly the trooper FN-2187, yes. I managed to secure a pardon for you during my last days in office. From here, you will go to Finn's facility in Coruscant, where you will be under his authority and domain."

"I'd rather die!" Hux shouts.

"You don't have that option." Ben says coolly. "I'm in charge of your transport, and I choose forgiveness. If it makes any difference, most of your fellow troopers had the same reaction their first day of reeducation. They turned out pretty well. I have the same hope for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, I hope you've enjoyed my story. It was a lot of fun to write. With this chapter this story is finished. I have started two other fanfiction stories, and if you liked this one, you may like one of them as well. Click my username to go to my profile to see them linked under there. My other stories are titled: 
> 
> The Skywalker Tale: A Legacy Restored
> 
> And...
> 
> Return of the Survivors
> 
> This last one is new, I published it last Saturday. I was going to just stick with the one, but then I had a dream and I had to start it too. I have new chapters to both works in the process of being written right now, but I wasn't going to make you wait any longer for this.


End file.
